“One of the ironic things about balance is that usually we don’t find it until we lose it.”
-Betty Rocker
Have you ever felt like you weren’t seeing results fast enough?
See, I get a lot of comments and questions from people who tell me things like they are doing 2 challenges at the same time, doubling up on workout days, working on building a specific part of their body so they’re training every single day, their diet is “perfect” they don’t take ANY “cheat days…”
…and many of these comments come with “but I’m not seeing progress!” or “I haven’t lost enough weight!” or “I’m not seeing results fast enough!”
This is such a tricky place to be because I so understand how hard you are working.
I so hear you on how much you care about reaching your goals.
It’s NOT wrong to take pride in your appearance, it’s NOT wrong to work on your physique or body goal or want to look your best!
It is, however, an EXTREME approach to be so hyper-focused on our appearance that we obsess over our weight, obsess over our food, obsess over our fat percentage and lose sight of the big picture of our happiness.
And the thing is, we don’t even feel like we’re “obsessed.” I know I thought I was just being HEALTHY focusing all the time on my weight and on my calorie count and my calories burned every single day. But I was focused on that SO much I forgot to look for other parts of the equation.
I have talked a lot about how meaningless the weight on the scale number is in regards to actual body composition, but I also want to address the “extreme” mindset from another angle.
I think a lot of the time when we’re really focused on a goal, we go all in trying to learn and do as much as possible as fast as possible.
Our capacity to learn and absorb new information is absolutely amazing!
But this approach, when taken too far, can create massive burnout before any desired goals are reached and that’s really what I’m talking about today – especially if you’ve ever experienced a plateau or gotten stalled in your progress and thought you should probably “work harder” “do more” or that you “weren’t doing enough.”
While learning our lessons the hard way isn’t always the straightest path, it is in my experience one of the most effective.
I know I wouldn’t have looked for balance if I hadn’t been so OUT of balance in extreme places along my own path.
So in a sense, going to extremes does serve you.
But you need to wake up to it fast, so you can harness the energy of your desire to serve you, not harm you.
Use your raw desire for the outcome you are after as the impetus to learn and apply. Enjoy the process of being a work in progress.
Anything worth learning in life is worth learning well, and the time you spend learning it is time you can never get back or do-over.
So make it count, and make it a lifetime investment in yourself.
I bet you can tell me stories about extremes you’ve gone to in your life thinking you were finding health, but instead found exhaustion.
Maybe you’ve tried to have “perfect clean eating” for weeks on end, only to feel deprived, unsatisfied, hungry and cranky.
Whatever the case may be, don’t be too hard on yourself – the journey is the lesson and you wouldn’t be where you are today without living through the things you’ve experienced.
Looking forward to your thoughts on this topic – post below and let me know where you’ve gone to an extreme to find your balance, or had an a-ha moment while reading this post.
We talk about these topics (and more) in Rock Your Life, my online home workout studio and women’s fitness community!
Come join us and let us support you on your journey of fitness and health – with home workout challenges, workout classes, healthy recipes, and our private support group!
