Glenbrooke News

Got a minute? That’s long enough to do one part of a goal.

The Wt. Loss Minute By Linda Spangle, RN, MA
Author: 100 Days of Weight Loss
www.WeightLossJoy.com

Great idea: Today, let something be imperfect!

A few months ago, Bob decided he was ready to start an exercise
program. Many years ago, he had been somewhat athletic, and he
longed to return to being the active, in-shape person he used to be.

After several days of planning his new exercise routine, Bob was
ready to begin. First he bought a lot of expensive equipment and
installed it in a special carpeted area of his basement. Then he
laid out a phenomenal workout, one that would ultimately give him
the toned body of a Greek god.

His daily regimen would start with 20 minutes of gentle warm-up,
then move into an intense cardiovascular workout that included
half an hour on the treadmill and another 30 minutes on an
exercise bike.

After that, he would shift to his weight-lifting program, a
meticulously planned routine that worked all of the major muscle
groups in exactly the right order. His program would finish with
stretching and a gentle walk to cool down. Bob’s two-hour
routine was thorough and perfect for transforming him into a
strong, fit individual.

There was only one problem. Three months after he set up his
ideal exercise program, Bob still had not done it. Not even once.
You see, he could never find a two-hour block of time when he
could do the whole routine. So until the day came when he could
do the entire program as he’d designed it, he couldn’t get
himself to exercise at all.

Have you ever been caught in this pattern? As you know,
perfectionism is great if you can make it work for you. But like
Bob’s ‘all or nothing’ approach, it can also keep you from
taking any action at all.

Step into the gray!

Perfectionism usually involves ‘black and white thinking.’
You either do the whole thing (white) or you don’t do it at all
(black). In between these two extremes lies a gray area, a place
perfectionists hate to enter.

In my meeting with Bob, I showed him a how this principle works.

WHITE ---> (GRAY) <--- BLACK

To accomplish his goals, I told Bob he didn’t need to move
entirely from one extreme to the other. He just needed to put ONE
FOOT into the gray area.

This meant he had to be willing to break his wonderful exercise
regimen into more manageable parts. Then on days when he
couldn’t complete the entire routine, he could simply do part
of his workout.

Bob struggled with this concept because his brain still wanted
to do the ‘perfect’ program. But he also recognized his rigid
plan kept him from making any progress at all. So he chose to
‘step into the gray’ instead of eliminating his entire workout.

After studying his exercise plan, Bob determined he could divide
it into 20-minute segments. He gave himself the option of doing
only one segment on days when he didn’t have time for the whole
thing.

A couple of months later, Bob reported he’d lost 20 pounds and
that he was thrilled with his how his workouts were going. By
changing his expectation of being perfect, he was able to do a
solid 20 minutes of exercise on days he otherwise would have
skipped.

If you tend to get stuck because of being a perfectionist,
experiment with putting one foot into the gray. For example,
instead of expecting yourself to NEVER eat when you aren’t
hungry, allow for a few exceptions.

In areas such as exercise or meal planning, figure out how to
make a small amount of progress, then label yourself as
successful. By letting go of your rigid rules and expectations,
you will achieve a much healthier balance in nearly every area of
your life.

Perfectionism is a GIFT!

Perfectionism isn't all bad. In many areas of life, it can help
you accomplish things you wouldn’t achieve otherwise. Rather
than try to eliminate perfectionism completely, simply treat it
as a wonderful gift. Then decide when it makes sense to use your
gift and when you need to store it on a shelf. In other words,
draw on perfectionism when it matters, but other times choose to
let it go.

If you’re determined to be successful long-term with managing
your weight, here’s what I suggest. Let go of your rigid
standards, and set a goal of striving for EXCELLENCE instead of
perfectionism.

You can figure out a way to achieve excellence with almost
anything you do. And with excellence, you can hold high standards
and strive for doing things well. But you can also allow yourself
the option of ‘missing’ by just a little.

By eliminating the roadblock of perfectionism, you will get far
more success in your weight management efforts as well as many
other areas of your life.

Know others who've got a minute? Forward this ezine and brighten
their day.

Want to comment on this ezine? Click 'Reply' and send me a note.

This ezine is currently focusing on the challenges of emotional
eating and other psychological issues. The content is based on
excerpts from my book ‘Life is Hard, Food is Easy: The 5-Step
Plan to Overcome Emotional Eating.’

To read previous issues:
http://shakerjardiet.com/index.php?page_id=317

© Linda Spangle, 2009. #1012, Weight Loss for Life, Inc.
5023 W. 120th Ave. #183, Broomfield, CO 80020
Contact: Linda@WeightLossJoy.com
www.weightlossjoy.com
303-452-1545 or 1-800-298-3020