You are never going to have the same energy levels day in day out, they fluctuate depending on multiple factors such as sleep, nutrition, hydration, stress etc. So varying your regular routines to accommodate how you actually feel is perfectly normal and is actually ok! If this means half-assing your wellness routine then so be it.
In fact it is important to your physical and mental wellness to do so in order to be well. Pushing yourself to breaking int in the pursuit of ‘goals’ isn’t conducive to optimising wellness for longevity, and doesn’t promote wellness for life.
It is often your inner dialogue that causes the pressure, so if you can reframe the way you talk to yourself then this is half the battle and relieves the pressure on you to be perfect. It’s just one more layer of stress that you don’t need.
When life happens it can throw you off track, so positive ways of half-assing wellness are;
You are feeling a little under the weather and so your regular spinning session may not be ideal, however a meditation or gentle yoga class may be just the right level of movement for this day.
You are all out of your go to ingredients for dinner whilst you await your online shopping delivery, rather than reaching for the take away menu, get creative and look at sipping out some of the ingredients- for example you don’t have chicken, but you have beef, or you don’t have rice but you have potato. It may not be your preferred culinary experience, but it won’t pull you off track with your goals.
You have forgotten to take your refillable eater bottle to work with you, rather than dehydrate or get stressed, see what’s available in the vending machine. The bottle of juice may not be ideal, but it beats 8 hours without drinking.
So, when should you “half-ass” wellness vs. push yourself to reach your goals, take care of your body and mind more, etc?
Taking care of yourself shouldn’t be an either or situation, though ensuring to schedule in time for your wellness can definitely help. This is especially important when you are busy, so that it doesn’t get overlooked. Actually blocking time out in the diary so that it is scheduled really helps with accountability and actually completing it. Colour coding it in the diary and placing it on repeat means that it will stand out and that you cannot overbook yourself. It’s time to take time for you and implementing strategies that simultaneously enhance your wellness, performance and business life.
How can you feel less guilty about doing this?
The 80% rule is a great way to incorporate wellness into a busy schedule. It’s not really half-assing, it is you giving yourself permission not to be perfect. The 80% rule is where you are aiming for 80% compliance, this offers you a bit of leeway for when life happens.
For example, you decide on 2 actions you want to complete each day over a 10 day period, so 100% compliance means completing 20 actions, whereas 80% compliance is completing16 out of the 20. So, rather than figuratively beating ‘yourself up’, you can be kinder to yourself and note you are still achieving, you’re just not perfect- and that’s ok!
Also remembering that focussing on little steps that we can take in order to get us closer to our goals. There are 1440 minutes in a day, that’s 24 hours, this is the number of opportunities available to us that we can utilise in order to take actionable, daily steps, consistently over time, to implement changes and sustainable habits.
If you feel like you are treading water and not progressing towards your goals then you may be half-assing a little too much, so you can either re-evaluate your goals or your motivation to achieve them. It may be that taking your foot off the accelerator is so bad.
Sometimes it can be a case of needing to put in the work to achieve things, though to should never be detrimental to your wellness.
But it is NEVER a one size fits all solution.
#wellness #halfass #allgood
