Doing it All or Doing Nothing Does No Good to Your Health

Life is Full of Surprises! Take Things as they Come while Working Towards your Target

Perfection is a mirage! The more you look unto it, the more it seems unattainable. Being a perfectionist is good but not great! This statement might sound ironic but believe me, there are more downsides to embracing perfection than its perks! There are different kinds of people in this world and perfectionists are one of them. Some others don’t care about anything (which is terrible) and there are the rest who stand in between. The world would be a perfect place to live if we did not have to wage wars, fight, face health problems, deal with economic crisis and endure the pain of death and separation. But we don’t live in a perfect world and we aren’t even perfect people.

Individuals often set too high goals or don’t set any goals in life and this is applicable to exercising and weight loss as well. Either you work vigorously where fitness becomes an obsession or you laze around devouring processed foods and leading a sedentary life. There are some who decide to hit the gym every single day of life, abstain from all junk and processed foods and become fitter/lose weight irrespective of what’s happening around them. They start working out and following a diligent eating schedule but life indeed is full of surprises and we don’t know what would crop up anytime! Maybe there are chances of catching the flu, getting hit by migraine or suffering from a sprain in which cases you are forced to stop your active lifestyle for a while. This sounds easier in writing but such hurdles devastate the individual’s goals and he/she goes back to his/her unhealthy, unbalanced lifestyle. This is called as the all-or-nothing approach that doesn’t do much good in the long run!

The Pendulum Effect
Life might be a giant wheel where we face ups and downs throughout our journey but human mind is like a pendulum swinging back and forth in thoughts. We swing in between extremes-either happy or sad, healthy or sick, overeating or starving. A person with an all-or-nothing approach perceives anything lesser than perfection as a failure. They set extremely high or impractical standards for themselves and often feel unworthy of existence even if they fail in one or two places. People here are often unhealthy and unbalanced either staying inactive or overdoing at the gym, starving or binge eating, feeling all geared up for or feeling like not even getting out of bed for exercise. They sway this way or the other but never stand in between to take a deep breath and enjoy life.

There are too many disadvantages with the all-or-nothing approach: They are likelier to binge-eat and again go into starvation mode being ashamed of themselves; there are greater chances of giving up as even the slightest deviation from your strategy makes you irritated and frustrated; you tend to punish yourself by skipping meals when you overeat during the previous meal. We are humans and we might feel hungrier on some days of the week; it causes stress and distress emotionally draining you; social life is jeopardized as you turn down invitations to dinner, parties and other functions as you fear missing gym sessions or chances are that you might overeat and get back all your lost fat! In no way should your health routine hamper your social life as being surrounded by people and having friends provides you with a strong support system that can revive your targets irrespective of your daily fitness routine. And, what’s life without knowing people, being in each other’s company and having some fun?
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To avoid all such side effects moderation is the key! Let go of the craze behind six-pack abs, size-zero body or the perfectly chiseled thighs! Give room for error and smile when you commit one. Set small, realistic goals that are sure to change into long-term lifestyle changes in the long run. Maybe you can start working out two to three days a week for 30 minutes and slowly extend the duration and the frequency. Understand that setbacks are sure to happen-it might be during festive times that you have an additional sweet or the presence of guests at home can prevent you from exercising regularly or keeping up with your time schedule. Finally, don’t set too much expectations such that it shatters your mind and heart when they are not fulfilled. The important thing is to bounce back from setbacks and get right on track. Be realistic, have a healthy social life, enjoy exercising and relish eating food to stick to your health goals for a lifetime! To plan your health routine or help you with weight loss please get in touch with reputed dietitian nutritionists at www.firsteatright.com.