A lot of people, when starting to work on their diet or fitness level, rapidly fall into what I like to call the all or nothing trap. I am very guilty of this – hell, I don’t even limit it to health! I will commit to work every hour possible, or I’ll be lazy and slack off. I’ll dye my hair crazy colours, or I’ll be adamant I’m going to leave it natural for the rest of my life. The list goes on. I think it’s definitely down to the initial ‘honeymoon period’ of motivation – when you’re so keen and excited about something and want to dedicate yourself to it wholeheartedly, that you don’t stop to think that maybe there is a middle ground which is just as good.
- You don’t have to commit to working out every damn day, or not.
- You don’t have to be 100% paleo or 100% vegan or 100% some-fad-diet. Hell, you don’t have to be 100% on ANY diet and deprive yourself of everything good in life, or 100% off a diet and eating everything in sight.
Over the last few years I have learned a lot about myself, and my ‘all or nothing’ way of thinking. I can recognise when I do start falling into that trap, and I try and stop myself. Why? Because I like the path of moderation more!
The middle way
Moderation may sound a lot less exciting, but it gives you a lot more space to adapt to what you want and how you are feeling at that moment. Using my previous examples…
- Setting yourself a daily workout plan every month is amazing and encouraging at the beginning and can definitely have its advantages, but what about when you feel ill one day? Injured? Generally run down and exhausted? Do you decide to skip that day, then fall off the bandwagon completely and stop exercising altogether?
- Going on a diet (or healthy lifestyle plan or however they market themselves) is so exciting at the beginning – following somebody else’s guidelines on what to eat sounds so simple, especially when you’re promised a thinner/more toned body in return. However, what happens when you are really hungry, but you’re told not to snack? Or when those zero-point carrot sticks or fat-free cereal bars are just not tempting you, and you want something tasty? All too often we end up at the biscuit tin or vending machine, wanting something that we’re not allowed to eat, but want so much. Next thing you know you’re officially OFF the diet and binging on everything you couldn’t have before.
What if there was no plan? No guidelines? What if it was just down to you? It’s your body, your rules. You know best, after all. Confused? Keep an eye out for more posts on this topic in the next couple of weeks. Don’t forget, I’m on bloglovin’ if you want to subscribe to my blog.
Tali xxx
