Want Results? Good News: Perfection In Your Fitness, Nutrition, AND Routine Are NOT Required
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You want results but worry about doing ALL the things in ALL the right ways. Because of that you either don't start OR you try to live up to a certain level in your workouts and nutrition and routine all at once and it's just not sustainable so you eventually fall off.
It doesn't have to be that way. Perfection is NOT required in ANY of the foundational pillars of weight loss to get RESULTS that LAST! In this episode we're talking about WHY that's try and WHAT it can look like for you!
WHY perfection isn’t required —
Perfection is NOT attainable and it is not a realistic aim! If you shoot for perfection, you are setting yourself up for pure disappointment.
The people you look up to or see as leaders in this space are also NOT perfect! Their overall results did not come from perfection because again… it's not attainable!
Perfection is also NOT sustainable! It's true there are some people out there who CAN BE perfect, but even for those people, it is ONLY for a season!
When you aim to be perfect for a stretch of time, when we fall off or choose to veer off of perfection, we head down a STEEP hill to old habits. When you allow yourself some wiggle room to be "off" and imperfect, you're allowing for strength and flexibility in your habits when LIFE happens.
Picture a palm tree.
Have you ever wondered how those tall skinny things can survive hurricane force winds without snapping in half?! Well they are uniquely created and BUILT for that! They're designed to flex and bend even in the strongest of winds.
When you allow imperfection to be a thing in your journey and let go of that need for constant, unattainable perfection — you're becoming palm tree strong! And that's what we want.
When life happens, when kids get sick, when you get back from a vacation...you want to be able to simply carry on in your journey, be flexible as need be to adjust to circumstances, but not get completely thrown off the wagon never to get on again.
Ya feel? #PALMTREESTRONG!
So WHAT does this look like — NOT needing to be perfect?
In fitness and your workouts it looks like…
Doing less intense workouts when you’re sick
Switching around days in a workout plan when you need to adjust for your schedule
Actually resting if you experience an injury
None of these are BAD THINGS as long as you're doing them from a place of self-honesty and not because you're making excuses for yourself.
In your nutrition it looks like...
Truly enjoying food when you eat out
Not obsessing over every morsel you put into your mouth
Being disciplined for a season and then not tracking or counting or ANY of that for a season too
In your routine it looks like...
Dropping the need to get out the door at a certain time for an errand
Saying no to things
Sleeping in on a day you need rest even if you usually get things done early in the day
Sometimes you just need this reminder that YES… it's okay to have moments of imperfection. And in all honesty, I encourage them as long as they're coming from a genuine place and not because you're making excuses for yourself.
Because you know the difference.
Start letting imperfection into not just your motherhood, but your journey as well.
Mentioned in this episode –
Are you ready to go from overwhelmed and stuck to disciplined and consistent in your journey?
Book your Starting Point Session and let's get you on track to your healthiest life!
FULL TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] You want results, but you worry about doing all the things in all the right ways. So you either don't start, which is called analysis paralysis, or you try to perform at a certain level in your workouts and your nutrition and your routine. You try to be perfect at it. And you try to do this all at once.
And it's just not sustainable. And after a few days or a week or two, you fall off and guess what? It doesn't have to be that way. It shouldn't be that way because perfection is not required in any of the foundational pillars of weight loss in your fitness or your nutrition or your routine to get results that last today, we're talking about why that's true and what it can look like for you.
Are you ready? Let's go. Hey, mama. Welcome to the tough love mom podcast. I know you're here because you're ready to get consistent and finally lose that weight. And you're not afraid of a little tough love, you know, what to do to lose weight. But following through on those [00:01:00] things feels impossible. You wish you could just feel like you're strong, confident self again.
I want to be a good example for your little ones, but you get thrown off by mom guilt and the unpredictability of motherhood. It's frustrating taking on your journey. Postpartum is hard, but it's not impossible. Hey, I'm Liz and I've been where you are. I gained a lot of weight in my pregnancies, 90 pounds, and then 60 pounds.
I needed to lose that weight to take control of my health. And honestly just wanted to feel like myself again, but. Sustainable approach to weight loss, simple consistency in working on my mindset. I lost it all in just over a year, both times. And I'm here to help you do the same. I believe that we have an ingrained ability to figure out what we need to do, make it happen and do it in a way that AWS the world, if you're ready to stop falling off the wagon, create solid routine and healthy.
And finally feel your best inside and out all while enjoying din nuggets on your salad, you are in the right place. We're about to transform your journey. My friend [00:02:00] get pumped up. It is tough. Love time.
I know you're listening to this because you want results in your journey. But like we just talked about in the intro there, results do not come from 180, everything. They don't come from trying to find. Diet or the next program or something. That's just gonna be a quick fix to this long term desire that you have to be healthy and to feel good in your body.
Those are things that don't happen because you did the right things or you changed the wrong habits to the right ones. That becomes a thing when it becomes your lifestyle, those feelings are present in the day to day, the confidence, the consistency, the discipline just becomes part of who you are when those choices become innate, when they become habit.
And when that's just. That's just how you function in your day to day and you don't make those changes overnight. You don't make those changes by, you know, changing the wrong habits to the right ones and from doing the right diet and eating the [00:03:00] right way and just eating that way forever. You do that by making small, incremental changes over time.
And that starts with a starting point. Knowing exactly where to start one simple action that you make habit over the course of a couple weeks. And it's all different person to person. What that starting point is, it is specific and personal to you because your life, your schedule, your journey, your goals, your life circumstances.
Are so unique. And so your starting point is unique as well. And I'm gonna help you find that on your starting point session. What we'll do is talk about where you're at right now, what your goals are, how you wanna feel. What's your biggest struggle. What's your biggest insecurity. And from all of that, we're gonna pinpoint.
Okay. Do we need to start with your nutrition? Is that the path we're gonna go on first? Or are we gonna start with your, your workouts, your fitness, or is the first path we need to take a step on with your starting point? Is it your. So we'll figure out which path are we gonna start on. And from there, there's a handful of different starting points within [00:04:00] each.
And based on again, your circumstances, your goals, what you want most what's holding you back the most. Right now, we're gonna pick a starting point and you're gonna master that starting point. That action. You're gonna make it a habit. You're gonna make it just part of who you are with my accountability over the course of a couple weeks.
And no perfection is not part of it. Consistency is, and discipline is, but perfection is not required. If you mess up. If you've got vacation, if you've got anything going on, that's called life. And guess what we can navigate around that. Cause you've got my support along the way. So you can go to the tough love mom.com/coaching to book your session.
Right now you're gonna wanna jump on that because they book up each month and we are gonna figure out where you need to start. So you don't have to let perfection rule your life and you can actually make true lasting change and, and make these habits part of who you are, make this healthy lifestyle that you want, not just for yourself, but for your kids, for your family.
For those around you. You can make [00:05:00] that part of who you are. You can make it true change that lasts lifetime and impacts generations. Cause that's what we want, right. Is moms. We're not just here for us anymore. We want to impact those who are coming after us. And it starts with what we do day in and day out.
So let's find your starting point again, head that the tough love mom.com/coaching. So we can get, you started with weight loss the right way. Okay. Okay. I'm the first person. To tell you that I am a recovering perfectionist. I am the first person who will tell you that absolutely bled over into my journey for years, too, that need for perfectionism organized planning, following through like, those were things that.
We're very present in many areas of my life. And again, it bled over into my journey for a long time, but something about motherhood, man, like motherhood humbled me and started breaking down that need for perfection really, really fast for me personally. [00:06:00] But I know it's. Still something that a lot of women struggle with, especially in their journey, because in our minds, we think that it takes full perfect, you know, no compromising discipline and perfection to get the results we want.
Right. Not true, not true at all. Why isn't this true? First perfection is not attainable. I'm gonna give you three reasons why this isn't true. And what. Imperfection can look like in your journey while still getting results. So first reason why this isn't true, why perfection is not necessary, why you don't have to be completely disciplined and perfect in everything you're doing in your journey to get results.
It's not attainable. Perfection is not attainable as a Christian. We know that is truth, but in general, it's just not a realistic aim at all. To try to be perfect. You're setting yourself up for peer disappointment. Truly the second reason why perfection is not necessary. Even those people that you look up to or see as leaders in this health and wellness space are not perfect.[00:07:00]
Maybe you kind of know that, but it doesn't look like it so deep down, it's hard to believe that is true, but seriously, what you see on social media is a tiny fraction of their day. I post like eight to 10 Instagram stories a day. That total is two minutes of my life of 24 hours. I mean, what you see is a tiny fraction of our day and often what's shareable or applicable to what they do or offer or work in.
is what you see on social media. Like I'm not gonna go posting about crafts that I do, cuz guess what? I don't do crafts I don't do home renovation stuff, cuz it's just not in my wheelhouse. So you ain't gonna see that stuff. And if I do do something, I might be like, look, it's my one Pinterest craft of the year.
But in all honesty, what you see is gonna be applicable to what I prioritize and what I, the area I work in and what I love to do, which is. Things in the health and wellness space. So what you see, you know, if that's not, if you don't have the same values and priorities [00:08:00] as someone that you follow in that specific area, You can't compare your lives.
It's just not it's, it's not logical. Don't do it. Okay. And their results, the people that you look up to, they have these great aspirational bodies that they've lost weight. You know, their stories are so inspirational. Their results did not come from perfection. Because back to my last point, perfection's not attainable.
It's not something any of us can reach, which leads me to my final reason that perfection is not required for results is perfection is not sustainable. It's not attainable and it's not sustainable. It's true that there are some people out there who can be perfect, but it's only for a season. It's only for a season often when they are perfect.
And speaking from experience here, unfortunately, I wish I wasn't, but I've totally had stretches of a couple weeks. Honestly, it can't last more than like two months for me. It, it, in the past, I don't try to do this anymore, but in the past, when I would try [00:09:00] to be perfect in my journey, it would last for max two months and it became a steep, downhill to old habits.
Okay. Really steep, downhill. And I'm pretty sure if you've walked that path before, you're like, yep. Let's just hit the nail on the head. That is so true. So when you allow yourself some wiggle room to be off or to live your life, to enjoy a Friday night eating out and just to be imperfect, what you're allowing for is for strength and flexibility in your habits for when life happens, when circumstances get difficult, when something random comes up and you can't be on your game because it's just not prioritized in that moment.
Picture a Palm tree. Stay with me here. Promise picture a Palm tree right now. Have you ever wondered how those tall skinny things can survive? Hurricane force winds? I mean like a hundred plus miles per hour without snapping in half, because I grew up in the Midwest where there were tornadoes and. Uh, we had, we had a tree branch fall in my house when I was a kid.
I mean, there are trees that 50, [00:10:00] 60 mile per hour winds snap right off the branches. Right. But these Palm trees that look like you could just crack 'em in half with, you know, two people they can with withstand hundreds of miles per hour. It's how their trunk fibers are built. They're built for that.
They're built to flex and bend. They're different than those of Oak trees or Elm trees or whatever other kind of trees that they have in the Midwest. what you want to do when you allow imperfection to be a thing in your journey and you let go of that constant need for unattainable perfection. You're becoming Palm tree strong, and that's what we want.
We want that Palm tree strength where you can flex and bend, but you will not break. You will not fall off and go down that steep steep hill of I was trying so hard to be perfect. And then I fell off. So we're throwing it all out the window. We don't want. When life happens when kids get sick, when you get back from a vacation or when you're on vacation, you wanna be able to simply carry on in your [00:11:00] journey.
Be flexible as you need to, to adjust to circumstances, but not get completely thrown off the wagon. Never to get on again, you feel okay. Hashtag Palm tree strong. That's what we're aiming for here. So what can this look like for you? What can not needing perfection? Look like in your journey. So let's start with fitness and your workouts.
What can this look like first doing less intense workouts when you get sick? Just recently, I was getting over some sort of head cold and you know what? I was wait, I wanted to run. I wanted to do I'm in the middle of phase three of 75 hard right now, as I record this and I wanted to do runs early in the morning before it got too hot.
My body feels really good. I feel really healthy other than my little head cold and I wanted to do runs, but I just wasn't feeling up to when I woke up in the morning. So I was doing walks instead. Okay. That's this, that is perfect example right there of doing less intense workouts. When you get sick or injured or your extra extra sore, it's good to still move your [00:12:00] body, but maybe you don't do something as intense as you were planning on.
Instead of just throwing it all out the window, you still do something, but you don't do it as hard. Switching around workout days in a workout plan when you need to adjust for your schedule or for a trip or anything else, I now do that all the time. Whereas back in my trying to be perfect in my fitness days, I would not budge.
I'd be like, okay, I've got, it was mainly when I was triathlon training. I'd be having a swim in the morning and a run in the afternoon while it was gonna storm. Well, I'm still gonna. Instead of just foregoing the outdoor workout, even if there was lighting kind of dumb. Right. But that's what I would do cause I was trying to be perfect.
But when you need to adjust for your schedule or for certain circumstances like weather or kids or family coming into town, switch around the workout days. Okay. Leg days are always on Monday in whatever workout plan you're following, but say you're gonna be out of town cuz Monday's a holiday. Okay, take a rest day on Monday and [00:13:00] work out on Sunday instead, like just switch 'em up.
It's not a big deal over the long term. And this is where you wanna, I often talk about taking your focus from the immediate to big picture or from big picture to the immediate. And you have to be aware of when that's important to do. And this is one of those circumstances where. When you're trying not to be perfect.
You have to take your focus off of the immediate off of the right now when you're trying to implement perfection and take a step back and say, okay, big picture in the grand scheme of things is not being perfectly on point. Like I'd like to be right now going to throw me off in the long run on this long term goal towards being as healthy as possible, losing weight, feeling my best.
Is that gonna throw me off long term? No, probably not very likely. Not because you're gonna get right back to it tomorrow, not perfection, but right back to what you were planning. So. Switching around your days in your workout plan, not a big deal, actually resting. If you get an injury, great idea. [00:14:00] That's okay.
That's imperfection. And if your body needs it, give it, none of these things are bad things. As long as you're doing them from a place of self honesty and trust. And not because you're making excuses for yourself and we know the difference. Now let's talk about not needing to be perfect in your nutrition.
I feel like this is an area where it's a lot stronger of a need. So enjoying food when you eat out making intentional choices about, yeah, I'm gonna get French fries with this meal at Chick-fil-A, but next time I'm gonna get a salad. I just, you know, have a couple French fries from my kid's meal, whatever enjoying food, when you eat.
But not from this emotional place or this place of fear, but enjoying the food, not obsessing over every morsel that you put into your mouth. I've had seasons of that in the past, and it's not enjoyable. nor is it nor is it fun for anyone else in my life being disciplined for a season is great. But then spending another season, another couple weeks, not tracking or counting or any of that for a period of time as [00:15:00] well.
I go in and out of being pretty disciplined in my nutrition and then just kind of responding to what my body needs and when I feel like eating. Okay, but not again. There's this fine line where we have to go. Am I being responsive to what my body needs being flexible, not prioritizing this is high, but still prioritizing my health.
Or am I letting the fact that there's difficult or not normal circumstances in my life right now? Be an excuse. There's a fine line between the two. And we do know deep down if we're in one camp or the other, we know that feeling. So it's just being aware of that and responding to it instead of brushing it onto the rug.
Right. Um, another way of being imperfect is, uh, just eating the cookie, like having a cookie. My mom's coming into town this weekend. She loves to make chocolate chip cookies and eating a cookie, not a big deal. That's imperfection and that's okay. In your routine, not needing perfection can look like dropping the need to get out the door at a certain time for an errand.
I am guilty of that. like, okay, I wanna [00:16:00] get out the door by this time so we can get back by this time so we can get you lunch and down for naps at this time. You know what? Sometimes we can be flexible by 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes saying no to. Be so we don't overload our schedules. And this is a big one, especially because I talk about getting up in the morning, getting up before your kids.
If that's something that is good for you in this season, but sleeping in on a day that you need rest. I have been learning that this year and it is so good for me when I can do that. And when I respond to that, when my body needs it, and often it's a choice in the moment, but I make it again. It's a difference of, is this something my body needs right now?
And can I honor it and still get the things done? I need to get done today or am I doing it because it's easier a path? Am I doing it because it's, what's comfortable, right. Knowing what the difference is between the two and then responding appropriately. Sometimes you just need this reminder that yes, it's okay.
To have moments of imperfection. I've talked a lot today about the difference between that [00:17:00] self-awareness of I'm doing this, cuz my body needs it right now or I would like to enjoy it and I won't have guilt around it and making an excuse. I've talked about the difference and there's also a piece of.
Allowing imperfection into your life of when you do give into what's easy. When you do make the excuse for yourself of giving yourself grace and then choosing to respond differently next time and not completely beating yourself up over that, not throwing everything out the window, because that is a response of guilt.
That is a response of judgment to yourself, and you don't have to be in that camp either. So I just wanna remind you of that today. Encourage you of. Because we are constantly changing and growing. And if, if we just constantly sweep things under the rug and Don. Think about what we're doing, why we're doing it.
Notice when we fall off and how we're responding and oh, that wasn't the best way to respond, but I can do differently next time. If we're not aware of that process happening in our minds or being intentional about that happening in our minds, in our [00:18:00] choices, in what we're doing day to day, this journey's gonna be really hard and that need for imperfection is gonna stay strong.
So I do encourage you to have those moments of imperfection as long as they're coming from a genuine. And that you're being self aware of what's going on and how can I respond differently next? , you know, the difference, you know, the difference between making an excuse and making an intentional choice, but give yourself grace.
If you're making the excuse, just don't keep giving yourself grace. Right? Don't keep making that excuse for yourself and keep giving in that's you're enabling yourself and we're not here for that. I'm not here for that. I'm here to spur you on and encourage you to start making the change. Small pivots.
It won't be easy at first, but it does make a difference over time. So if you need that encouraging, but also empowering voice in your life to point you in the right direction on this journey, I'm here for you with that. And I'd love to learn more about you, your journey, what you're struggling. On your starting point session.
So we can [00:19:00] figure out a simple starting point for you to get consistent and drop the overwhelm with this journey, because it does not have to be that way. And perfection does not, and should not be part of the picture either episode two. Yeah, episode two was really good for that. If you need to start with that mindset work, go listen.
Or re-listen if you did back when the podcast started to that episode and start letting imperfection into not just your life, but your journey as well. Okay. Okay. Love you, mama. Get after it. Before you go, thank you for spending this time with me on the tough love mom podcast. If this episode encouraged you in any way, the number one way you can thank me is to leave a review.
Letting me know how this show has impacted you. Then send this episode to another mom friend, or take a screenshot, post it on social media and tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me on this journey to impact thousands of moms. I'm so grateful to be on this journey with your sister until next time.
Get after it.[00:20:00]
