THE LEANEST AND THE STRONGEST: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS THROUGH ALL SEASONS OF LIFE
I’ve seen this unattributed quote floating around the internet that says some variation of
“there is nothing in nature that blooms all year long, so don’t expect yourself to do so.”
Most people have some time in their life when they think they performed or looked their absolute best, and then wonder why they weren’t able to hold onto that forever. But, if you take a moment to reflect on all of the pieces of the puzzle that had to come together for that brief moment, it’s unlikely that everything can stay aligned that way for long.
Being at your absolute best in terms of either performance or aesthetics takes a lot of work! And while a lot of that effort is sustainable, not every circumstance or variable is permanent. If you were setting new PRs all the time but then suffered an injury or a setback, it can be difficult to take things one day at a time, knowing that you aren’t at your all-time best. Similarly, if you had a time in your life where you felt like you looked the absolute best - but you had more time to dedicate to preparing your food or working out, that can also be frustrating. You may have more obligations, different priorities, or other responsibilities then you had when you were at your absolute best.
Perhaps you can’t control every circumstance to recreate the magical moment where you looked or performed at your peak, but what you can do is put in your current best effort. And to start, it can be helpful to make a checklist to see what your actual best effort looks like. Here’s a quick list of questions to consider:
-How many hours of sleep can you reasonably get each night?
-How much time can you set aside for preparing your nutrition for the day or week?
-How many times per week can you work out?
-How much time per day can you dedicate to recovery and stress relief?
-Is there anything that is holding you back that you could give up (excess drinking, eating out daily, etc)?
Writing these things down and making a goal every week to see what your potential best effort looks like compared to what your actual effort looks like can be an effective way of bridging the gap.
And if you can’t seem to bridge the gap, that may be an indicator that your expectations need to be adjusted.
You may not be able to be at your leanest every day of the year, and you may not be able to set a new PR every time you work out, but you do have the capacity to put in your best effort. And it’s OK if your best effort today doesn’t look the same as it did last week, or last month, or last year.
Nothing in nature blooms all year long.
We may not be able to be at our peak year round, but that doesn't mean we have to wait until conditions are “perfect” to start working towards our goals. Learn more about how individualized coaching can help you with your fat loss, performance, or health goals.