Working out, eating well, and ultimately building the body you want should enhance and improve your life, not define and rule it.
That’s a hard lesson I learned many years ago.
My life revolved around rigid nutrition rules (similar to things like “The Skinny Rules“) or diets and I would never skip a meal or workout under any circumstances. I’d miss family gatherings, parties, and other events if they interfered with my workout schedule or meal plan.
I was “hardcore” when it came to eating and training. I was also miserable most of the time.
Not only was I sacrificing things in my life that truly mattered — spending time with family and loved ones — but I eventually developed some severe disordered eating habits and became a compulsive binge eater.
My life was defined by working out and eating. And to make things even worse, I still didn’t build the body I wanted.
I was stressed out, exhausted, hungry, and miserable.
Things had to change. It was time for this journey — training hard and eating well — to be stress-free and enhance my life instead of dominate and define it.
I took a few easy steps and learned to relax, keep things simple, and enjoy the journey.
- I no longer demonized foods or food groups and ate a variety of foods I truly enjoyed, as discussed in the 6 (Sane and Simple) Rules.
- I didn’t work out to total exhaustion or fatigue and instead focused on improving my performance and finishing my workouts strong.
- I focused on adding MORE weight to the barbell instead of striving for LESS weight on the scale.
- I appreciated my body for what it could DO instead of obsessing over how it looked.
- I simplified how I ate and worked out as much as possible so I didn’t experience unnecessary stress.
It took some time to make these changes, but it was worth the effort.
My approach to nutrition and working out finally enhanced my life and no longer ruled it, and that’s how I do it all today.
Working out is fun and motivating, and I’m no longer hungry or deprived.
And perhaps the best part is that by simplifying everything I was finally able to achieve the results I wanted all along, and I have maintained them since with ease.
Most people think you have to deprive yourself and be “hardcore” to get the results you want, but keeping everything simple is what ended up proving to be the most effective, and enjoyable, for me. It’s now a fun and enjoyable lifestyle instead of an unrealistic regimen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How you eat and work out should enhance your overall life, and not dominate it.
If your current workout program and nutrition habits aren’t enhancing your life, then it’s time for a change.
One thing you can do is simply get back to the basics of strength training and nutrition. It’s easy to get caught up in the minute details of a workout program or diet, but getting back to the basics will allow you to focus on the few important things that matter and produce the majority of the results. You’ll also ditch unnecessary stress in the process.
When it comes to nutrition, you can begin by ditching diets and listening to your body.
Whatever you do, remember that this journey should enhance the rest of your life.