The Biggest Trait Stopping Your Rehab and Training

Hi, my name is Vic and I’m a Perfectionist.

There,  I have said it.  Phew.  I’m getting my dirty little secret out there and starting to feel better already.

I,  like so many of you struggle on a daily basis with my perfectionist tendencies and let me tell you (although you likely already know this) it’s exhausting!  You run around a lot being busy and not productive.  You beat yourself up when you haven’t achieved your impossible “To Do” list for the day.  You focus on all the things that didn’t go as well as you hoped instead of all the things that did.  You neglect the true priorities in your day because you don’t stop to actually define what is most important to achieve in your haste to tick some boxes off your list.  Does this sounds familiar?

Having done a fair amount of soul searching over the last few years on “my journey”,  I finally get what all the self help books,  helpful comments from family and friends,  pinterest blogs etc were trying to tell me…..

Nothing in life is perfect.  Even if it appears that way things will change and rarely stay the same.

This has been massive for me.  HUGE.  Changing my mindset on perfectionism has opened up my world.  That and having a child perhaps!  I have also realised that being a perfectionist can totally get in the way of you doing your training / rehab and even taking regular exercise.

I now wholehearted embrace imperfect action. It’s my new favourite 2 words and my new mantra! I will say it again… take imperfect action.  Why are these words so good?  It’s simple.  You do something.  You actually start and by doing it you achieve a massive amount more.  Hooray.

How many of you don’t do your exercises because it isn’t the right time in the day?  Your head isn’t quite in the right space?  There isn’t enough time to do the whole lot?  You haven’t got enough space,  the dog gets in the way,  the children need me,  the plants need watering?  The list is endless.

Here are a few tips to help you get over your perfectionist ways,  get you doing your training / rehab and most importantly get you moving and feeling great again;

1. You don’t need to do your exercises perfectly to start making the positive changes you need to improve your movement and symptoms.
2. Do something, even if it isn’t the full set of exercises, something is better than nothing. Even if that is 2 or 5 minutes.
3. Be kind to yourself, if you don’t get through the full programme, you miss a day, you are poorly.  Stuff happens.
4. Recognise and reward your success when you do do your programme.  The hormonal buzz from all this positive action will help reinforce what you have done and form a habit.
5. Block time in your day to do your programme and protect this time!
6. You are allowed a day off once in a while.  You will get sick or have guests staying but get back on track asap or remember point 2.
7. Focus on what feels good as that hormonal buzz will help you get that habit formed.

So, this week your “One Thing” to think about and start doing is taking imperfect action. Imperfect action will get you started and keep you going. Imperfect action with your rehab and training, imperfect action with your parenting, imperfect action with your cleaning, gardening, exercise, imperfect action with your work. It works with everything and will get you results!  Try it I challenge you.

originally posted 21st June 2017