(Originally sent as part of our weekly email @fullrangefitnesspvd; published on 5/13/2023)

If you’ve been following along with our Full Range Run/Walk Club, you’ve probably come to realize a simple truth: doing something, anything, every single day — with no missed days — is pretty tough.  Put even more simply: perfection is hard (if even possible).

To be fair, we did present this whole thing as being based around the goal of consistent, daily compliance, which can lead to what I’ve heard referred to as a case of the “f*ck-its:” when you miss one day or workout, or have one cheat meal during your month of “eating clean,” and just say “f*ck it,” and give up.

While this “all-or-nothing” mindset is clearly unrealistic, and detrimental to our efforts to make changes to our daily habits and lifestyle, it is nonetheless a trap that many of us get caught in from time to time.

As we’ve discussed here before, interruptions to our daily routines are inevitable, and, at some point, even those that are never take days off are going to be forced to spend some time away from their training.  But we can’t allow the negative viewpoint to win here; instead of thinking about what we are “losing” when we take time off, or slip up on our diet, the focus HAS to be on what we are gaining with every time we actually complete those things that are having a positive effect on our lives.

James Clear writes in his book Atomic Habits (I’m paraphrasing here) that every time we make a choice to do something beneficial for ourselves, we are casting a vote for being that type of person.  It’s not about doing it perfectly every time, it’s about how often we actually do it.  Eventually, the habit becomes more ingrained in us, and takes less effort, but it wasn’t because we never slipped up — it’s because we kept at it even after we slipped up.  

On an anecdotal note, my daily walks have been doing wonders for my overall mood and energy, and I’ve actually lost a bit of body fat over these first two weeks.  This isn’t to pat myself on the back (though maybe a little), but to emphasize that it doesn’t matter if you’re doing 30 days straight, if you missed a few days, or if you are just starting now — even 12 days can make a difference, and hopefully lead to more.

As the saying goes, “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”  Or, don’t let a case of the “f*ck-its” stop you from getting back on the horse.