Combating All-or-Nothing Thinking in Diet and Exercise

 Did you know you’re either good or bad?

Right or always wrong?

A big success or a total failure?

It’s true!

If, that is, you subscribe to the common but dangerous “all or nothing” attitude that too many people take with diet and exercise.

And just like things aren’t always so simple in life, neither are they when it comes to building healthy habits.

Think progress, not perfection, when pursuing goals.

That means accepting that some days will be great, some will be disappointing, and the vast majority will be somewhere in the middle. 

The secret is to persevere consistently and not fall into a funk when you don’t hit a home run every time you’re at bat.

Take the “80/20 approach.” Aim to hit your mark eight of 10 times, and don’t worry if you fall short the other two.

This is a more reasoned approach than “all or nothing,” which dooms you to failure anytime you’re not perfect.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not perfect all the time!

You won’t blow your diet or erase your workout gains by slipping here and there. And too much “grind it out” intensity can be damaging physically and psychologically.

So, embrace your fallibility and focus on consistent, steady effort – which always leads to the most lasting and healthy results.