What is the Enemy of Progress?

What is the enemy of progress?

The simple answer is...perfection.

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi told his players, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

Key to this quote is Lombardi’s implication that perfection is unattainable.

However, unlike in football, when it comes to nutrition, even striving for perfection sets us up for failure.

I believe this to be the reason so many people fail at their latest diet. The diet says I have to get these exact ingredients, and eat this at this time, and don’t eat this, and workout in exactly this way, and the list goes on and on. It’s overwhelming, and unless you are a professional athlete or a physique model, it’s unnecessary.

A better approach is the 80/20 principle. 80% of the time you make optimal food choices for where you are on your nutritional journey. That leaves 20% of the time where you will be less than perfect.

As you evolve in what good nutrition looks like to you, your 80% will get better, and so will your 20% (maybe your fried doughnuts turn into whole grain bagels...or your cereal turns into kale chips).

But allow yourself the 20%.

And allow it without judgement or shame. Allow it without that feeling that you’ve “fallen off the wagon.” Allow it with self-compassion and an understanding that it is a part of the process.

When you eat less than optimally, whether planned or unplanned, chalk it up to your 20%. Focus instead on your 80% of awesomeness.

So today, let’s allow ourselves 20% and focus on our 80%...one minute at a time.