Progress vs Perfection by Nick Smith

Regardless of how long you’ve been exercising sometimes you just want to get to that point where you feel like you’re doing everything perfectly. Maybe it’s running PBs every time you do a 5k, lifting heavier or doing more reps, more quickly. But unfortunately it doesn’t work like that and that’s where your mindset comes into play.

When you start exercising it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking when you get to a certain weight or level of fitness that you’ll have reached your goal. But exercising shouldn’t be something you need to do to get to a certain point. It should just be a part of your routine, something that you do regularly and enjoy.

If you think like that then you’ll be more focussed on the progress you’re making instead of chasing that impossible, perfect version of yourself.

If exercise is already part of your routine then it’s good to challenge yourself. But you can’t always make big leaps and improvements. If you push too hard that’s when injuries happen, so focus on the small wins.

Maybe you didn’t run a PB in that 5k but did it feel easier?

So you didn’t lift heavier, was your form better?

And so what that you didn’t squeeze out more reps in that WOD? Maybe you tried a new movement you’d not done before or you didn’t need as many modifications. All these small wins are actually big victories.

Being active is a journey, there’s no final destination. Enjoy the journey and recognise how far you’ve come instead of chasing that idea of perfection.

If you want to focus on your exercise progress then get in touch with one of the CrossFit Volentia team: