It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach

Your fitness and health experience can be an intense relationship. We either meal prep for the week, schedule our workouts consistently, and practice healthy sleep habits…or we eat more takeout, work out sporadically, and feel less rested. For some reason we seem to have this extreme all-or-nothing approach for something that should hopefully become more habitual, a lifestyle more than a chore.

I feel you. Reality is, we might enjoy our weekend off so much that we don’t get the chance to meal prep fully, we may stay up late to spend time with a loved one and sleep a little less one night, and we may have to choose not to workout and give our bodies rest. The truth is, no matter how good our intentions can be, life will eventually get in the way.

So how do we combat that to stay on track?

A healthy lifestyle can look different and is unique to every person, but if we all slept well, ate whole foods, and moved our bodies in moderation, we would hopefully achieve relative homeostasis in between the all-or-nothing moments. I’ll be the first to say it is easier said than done, but if we implement a few best practices, we could live our best lives feeling energized and motivated to take care of ourselves, while still enjoying the moments in between.

Even though I know what I need to do, I too struggle with how to actually make it all happen. A few things that have been working for me include the following:

Scheduling in my workouts. I have mentioned this in the past, but I typically work out 3-4 times per week including strength training, Pilates or Barre, and running. I try to plan it according to my work schedule and allow myself rest days in between. I do make adjustments as necessary, but I try to schedule the time in advance, so that they remain the priority for that given 30-60 minutes of time.

Being flexible. Sometimes I need to change my workout time or day and sometimes it may need to be shorter than I anticipated. I think a lot of us have this idea that workouts have to be an hour-long class or gym session, but the reality is we can be effective in less time. I love to cook, but sometimes meal prepping doesn’t happen on Sunday like I intend, so I make due until I can get some staples back in my kitchen. We can still experience positive benefits from doing some good things without reaching that optimal level we strive for.

Making smarter takeout choices. With the access to healthy takeout options in downtown Toronto, I have no excuse to feel like I have to eat greasy, processed food. Sometimes I, of course, want the pizza or burger and fries and I enjoy every moment of it, but most times I crave fresher, whole foods. When I know that I need to eat out, I at least try to make a conscious effort to choose something that will help fuel me well for the rest of the day.

One “bad” day does not ruin your progress. This one I find I am good at navigating myself, but is something I remind my clients of daily. Just because Monday didn’t go exactly as planned, doesn’t mean the rest of your week has to be affected negatively. The day is gone and we can’t live regretting what happened. All we can do is plan better for future days and make choices that make us feel our best.

Creating a healthy, active lifestyle can be easier said than done. The best way is to create positive, healthy habits that work best for you. We can all share our own experiences, but it comes down to what you enjoy, what makes you feel successful, and what keeps you motivated to continue to do it all over again. Life is a constant balancing act in between the all-or-nothing. By creating the habits and continuing to practice them, you will experience more balance in between because you are capable of recognizing that a little is better than nothing at all.

Yours in self-discovery,

Rachel