So often we do things halfheartedly. We convince ourselves that it is better than nothing. It's better to do something than to not even try. This is true. BUT if you are going to do something, do it right. If you don't give it your all...you will not see the benefits and results you are searching for.
A couple of years ago I was on the weight watchers program which assigned points to the food you ate and you only got a certain number of points per day. One day at work I was desperately searching for how many points a Cadbury Cream Egg would be. I found a number of results that said it would be 5 points. But I did see one that claimed it was only 4 points. A guy I worked with said, "there you go...only 4 points." It seemed pretty clear to me that it was really 5 points and if I counted it as 4 then I would be the one going a point over every time I ate one. I told him I would only be cheating myself if I counted it as 4 points. Yes, I could have gone the route that would have given me more of the creamy goodness but I would know why the number on the scale didn't move either. The thing that is most concerning is people encourage (like my co-worker) to cheat yourself. I don't think they mean any harm but it not the type of encouragement you need when you are doing hard things.
It's the same when you are working out. Give it your all. Don't short yourself. If you do, it will take that much longer to see results. I know working out can be hard. I know how difficult those last couple of reps could be. BUT it's supposed to be hard. If you aren't challenging yourself you aren't making progress. Yes, it is better than not working out at all but as long as you are in the midst of the sweat...go all the way. Make it really work for you. There are times that I want to skip a set. There are times that I want take just a few minutes off my cardio to give myself a break. Here is a warning for you...once you start doing this it becomes easier and easier to shorten your workout. Instead of shorting yourself why don't you try doing one more than you are supposed to. Just one more squat, curl, lunge, arm raise or one more minute of cardio. How awesome will you feel about yourself for doing one more instead of skipping a couple at the end?
The first time I tried to keep a gratitude journal I didn't take it seriously. I would try to remember to do it at night but my heart wasn't in it. I may have remembered I still had to do it while washing the dishes. I would moan to myself that I still had to get that pesky gratitude journal filled out. Then I would write things like...I'm grateful the dishes are done...haha! I didn't really put any thought into it. More importantly, I didn't put any feeling into it. Once I started doing it properly it changed my life forever. Once I actually sat down and truly thought about what I was grateful for that day I realized that it brought me joy just to write it down. Then, and this is the whole point of a gratitude journal, it set me up to start looking for more things to be grateful for throughout the day. Give it your all or sometimes it isn't worth doing it at all.
The next time you think about shorting yourself on something, remember you are only cheating yourself. No one likes to be cheated so why would you do it so willingly to yourself. Don't. Stop. Break the cycle. Be true to word and true to yourself. You are the only person you can truly count on to not let yourself down. So don't. In any aspect of your life.
Go throughout the day today and notice what you do halfheartedly. Can you just try to give it your all. I'm pretty sure you will feel better about yourself and you will likely see better results as well. Now go be the badass I know you are. I'm cheering you on.
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