Does your diet always start tomorrow?
Are you waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to start eating better? To
Like once you change jobs.
Once life is less busy.
Once you can afford organic fruit & veg.
Once you find the right clothes for the gym & feel less awkward about going.
Once you’ve lost the first 10lbs…
This is the problem with perfection. It’s the killer of getting what you want!
Because life is never perfect. And I promise the time will never be 100% right.
So instead of taking those small steps right NOW, we wait. And do nothing.
For lots of us, perfectionism is the perfect distraction and justification. It helps us avoid the real (and risky) step of taking action.
For others, perfectionism and avoidance serve as strong
“I could ___ but ___” keeps us safe from pain.
Unfortunately, it’s also what keeps us from growing, thriving, and being who we KNOW we have the potential to be.
It’s all-or-nothing thinking. “If I don’t do this perfectly, it’s pointless”. And usually, doing nothing wins.
Here’s the thing…
The ‘perfect’ time & world most of us imagine will NEVER exist. Life just doesn’t work that way!
Imagine you have
Would life be perfect then? Of course not! Sure, things might be easier. But you’d have new challenges, problems & anxieties to face. That’s just the way humans are.
Instead, it’s about
But those perfect moments make up the minority of our lives – NOT the majority.
They’re a magic moment in the zillions of other less magical moments.
It’s like
And if you want MORE in your life, you can’t wait for them to show up.
What would happen if you hunted for more perfect moments? Chase them? Create them? Make them happen?
I’m not saying it’s easy! BUT it’s entirely in your power. You are the creator of your own perfect moments.
It can feel frustrating, of course.
It shouldn’t be this way, we think. Everyone else’s moments just… come to them. Everyone else has enough time. Enough money. Enough motivation. Enough information.
But it IS this way. For everyone. I promise.
What about right now? If this became a perfect moment too?
Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second.
Because that is all you ever have: right now.
And here’s another secret. You don’t have to actually work to get to the next moment.
All you have to do is start.
And then, moments will keep moving, as moments do.
One moment will stack on top of another and before you know it, you’ll have arrived at your destination.
“But I can’t!” you say. “I can’t get started! That’s the problem!”
No, it’s not. If you can’t get started, you’re just jumping too far ahead.
You’re not starting with starting. You are trying to start somewhere in an imaginary middle.
Let’s say – for instance – you choose to start with reading about nutrition.
It can be a good place to
But it is NOT a good start if it keeps you stuck in your chair, clicking through endless blogs and charts and plans and testimonials until it’s time for bed & you haven’t made a single good nutritional choice today.
So maybe, starting for you shouldn’t be reading.
Maybe it should be something else. Like walking to the fruit bowl, picking out a shiny fresh apple and eating it.
Or making a shopping list and putting it next to your car keys for tomorrow.
Or reading a menu from the restaurant you’re about to visit & picking out a healthy option in advance.
Starting means taking action. Starting means committing to a choice. This is how you KNOW it’s a true start.
Starting is when you drop the coin into one pinball machine, not when you stand there looking at
Starting is when you lift up one foot and put it in front of the other, not when you stand there debating which road to take or wondering if you should have worn different shoes.
For some of us, starting needs to be an even smaller action. Starting might be just lifting the foot. Or shifting their weight to one leg.
Putting the first foot in front of the second foot might require some help. Which is OK.
As long as something is moving, that’s a start.
Push through. Embrace resistance.
Lots of us just starting out assume that because we feel resistance, we’ve failed.
That because broccoli tastes bitter when they first try it, and because they accidentally overcook it, they just can’t eat vegetables.
That because they forget the printed list of exercises on the kitchen table, they can’t work out once they get to the gym.
That because their legs ache on the way up, they’re not ready to climb that hill.
No. That’s just how it feels sometimes.
Starting will often feel like resistance, at least at first. Like grinding the brain’s gears.
Give it time. Resist the urge to press pause. Push through & keep on going.
Remember: you don’t have to fight the resistance of the entire trip.
You just have to push through the resistance of the first few moments.
Get the support you need, just for now.
For a rocket to leave earth, it has to fire extra-hard against gravity. It needs a boost.
For a heavy train to get moving, it might need an extra engine.
We can start—and stay moving—on our own. But it truly helps when someone else is there, to give us a push or a pull.
Someone who can call us out on our procrastination & perfection. On our information-cruising and waffling.
Someone who can snap us out of our old ‘all-or-nothing’ ways with a gentle nudge & reminder.
For a while, we can even attach ourselves to someone else (like hooking on that extra engine). But as we go along, we don’t need that extra engine so much. We grow lighter, leaner, more mobile.
And eventually, we don’t need that extra engine at all. You’re whizzing along just fine on your own,
But in the beginning, we had to start.
If you’re still waiting for the ‘perfect’ time, these tips will help you stop feeling stuck and start to take action…
1. Let go of perfect.
You CAN
There is only now.
And now is the time to take that very first step, however small.
2. Carve out time, even if it’s imperfect.
You’ll need to take that time – because nobody will ever give it to you!
Give yourself permission to make yourself — and your health & fitness goals — a priority.
Create the time you need in your schedule. Don’t have time for an hour-long workout? No problem. How much time do you have? 20 minutes? 10 minutes? Work with what you’ve got.
Don’t expect things to go perfectly smoothly. Instead, anticipate and strategize. Ask yourself:
- What’s likely to get in the way of what I hope to accomplish?
- What ONE thing can I do today, to help me keep going when I face those obstacles?
And instead of waiting for life to ‘slow down,’ start making something happen right now. In the middle of all the crazy mess!
3. Just start.
If you feel stuck, just do something. Anything.
Find the smallest possible thing you can do right now, in the next 5 minutes, and do it. Now you’ve started!
On my nutrition coaching program, we concentrate on finding “5-minute actions.” Instead of coming up with the biggest, grandest scheme, think about what you could do in just 5 minutes to help move
Every time you take action, it’s a ‘vote’ in
4. Expect resistance.
It’s normal.
Push through it. Resistance doesn’t mean this won’t work. It just means you’ve started.
You only have to get through THIS moment. This moment of starting will be the hardest. But the good news is that it won’t last long.
5. Get support.
You don’t have to do this alone. I know you’re probably not the kind of person who ever asks for help & is always there, supporting everyone else in your life.
But it’s about putting your health & wellbeing first. It’s time to start building YOUR support systems, for a change.
Whether it’s a friend or family member, workout buddy or a coach, find someone to fire up your booster rockets until you can fly on your own.
What help & support would make you the healthiest, fittest & strongest version of you?
Most of us know that moving more, eating well, sleeping soundly & managing our stress are the keys to looking & feeling better.
But it’s not that easy! And doing this in our busy, stressful lives can feel impossible.
So if I can support you in any way, I’d love to help.
Over the last decade as a qualified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach, I’ve worked closely with women from all walks of life to lose weight, get stronger & improve their health and wellbeing. No matter what challenges they’re dealing with, I’ve been there to support them, every step of the way.
It’s NOT about dieting (they never work!) or cutting things out – but changing the way you think & feel about food, to make long-term, sustainable changes.
So you can still eat with your family.
If that sounds good, I’d love to help you. Click here to find out more now.
And remember – it’s never a straight path! But you CAN take those tiny first steps, in this exact moment, towards the life you truly want…
Until next time
Fran x