I read this somewhere and it’s stuck with me:

Progress, not perfection.

I’ve been a perfectionist my entire life and it’s something I have to fight every day.

If something isn’t perfect, if I’m not doing something perfect, if I’m not perfect, I give up.

I deliberately sabotage myself or my efforts at something because it’s not my standard of perfect.

How many times have you tried to implement a new habit or new workout routine or a new weight loss program only to find that you give up after you go back to your old habits or miss one workout or gain a few pounds?

Progress not perfection. 

It’s easy to give up when things are hard, when we are out of our comfort zone or we just don’t have the energy to keep trying. I’ve been there, many times, almost daily infact. It gets exhausting. But I now remind myself that I don’t have to be perfect and it’s actually my mistakes that will make me stronger.

My habits, the way I eat, when and if I workout doesn’t have to be set to my high standard of what I consider perfect…If I stumble and eat a bag of chips or don’t have my smoothie one day or have trouble motivating myself to get to the gym…it’s okay.

I wipe the slate clean and start over the next day.

I give myself a loving pat on the back.

Progress not perfection.

As a nutritionist, I find people are scared to come see me. They think I’m going to completely change their diet and force them to give up all of their “bad” habits and make them go to the gym everyday. While that may be ideal in a perfect world, this isn’t a perfect world and we all struggle with something. I help people make small changes over time in a way that’s not too overwhelming—in a compassionate, pat yourself on the back kind of way.

Let’s face it: Living in a world where we are overworked, overtired and have the convenience of fast food and pre-made everything, fighting for our health can get exhausting and we give up.

We are sabotaging ourselves and we know it.

So for today and every day after today, remember “progress, not perfection.”

Any step that you can take to improve your health is a step in the right direction and that’s all that matters.

Author: Jennifer Cote 

Editor: Renée Picard 

Image: Wikimedia Commons