Hey there. This message goes out to everyone who feels like they’re stuck in a cycle of constant restarts. I’m talking to you if Mondays are always your “fresh start,” if every slip-up leads to you saying you’ll do better tomorrow, or if you’ve convinced yourself that one bad day means you have to start over from scratch. I’ve been there too.
My friend Gary Cantrell recently dropped an episode on his podcast about how your weight loss journey is not a video game. That really hit home. He wasn’t throwing shade at anyone, just being real. Most people who keep restarting are chasing perfection. They think if they mess up even once, the whole day or week is ruined and they need to hit reset. But the truth is, perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is.
Yesterday, for example, was completely off routine for me. I slept in, skipped my usual gym session, tried to squeeze in a home workout that got interrupted, and ate pretty much anything I felt like throughout the day. I didn’t drink enough water. I didn’t do my daily lesson. On paper, it looked like a total loss.
But here’s what I did instead of restarting... I continued. I went to bed late but kept my alarm set. I got up, hit the gym, got my workout in, and I’m back to my regular routine today. That’s what this journey is. It’s not about starting over every time life happens. It’s about continuing on and doing the work.
So many people are chasing this idea that everything needs to be perfect. Social media feeds into that. You’ll see posts with “Day One” captions over and over. But what if it wasn’t about Day One? What if it was about Day 67 or Day 183 or Day 4,291? Because that’s how this works. You build habits. You keep going. And when things go sideways, you adjust. You don’t erase the progress and start over. You keep showing up.
That’s what I teach my clients. We don’t restart. We continue. We pick out what’s already working and we build around it. You don’t need a new plan every time you hit a bump. You just need to keep going.
So here’s my challenge to you... post it on Instagram, on your story or feed. Say it with me. “I’m not restarting. I’m continuing.” Tag me @yourlevelfitness and Gary too. Let’s get this message out there.
And if you’re ready to stop restarting and start building a plan that actually works for you, join The YLF Experience. No perfection. Just progress.