Why I feel bad for Lebron James and how it impacts your fitness

I feel bad for Lebron James.

Yeah. I said it.

No self-respecting NY Knicks fan would ever say such a thing.

But I do.

Here is why.

(And if you're not into basketball don't worry - this still applies.)

The Miami Heat have made it to the NBA Finals three years in a row. I don't care how good you or your team is, that's not easy to do. So many things have to go right for that to happen.

People say anything less than a championship for the Miami Heat is a complete failure. In fact, the head coach of the Miami Heat has said that many times.

THAT is a lot of pressure. A complete failure?

I've read that Lebron James doesn't sleep during the playoffs. I'd guess it's because of the pressure he feels.

Lebron James is arguably one of the best basketball players ever...

That is until he wins multiple NBA Championships, so the critics say.

Unfortunately for Lebron he has to be perfect.

Anything less than perfect is...apparently a complete failure.

Thankfully, we don't have the kind of pressure Lebron James faces...from the critics and most likely himself.

Yet, many of us put that kind of pressure on ourselves anyway...

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Too often we think:

"If I can't be "perfect" why bother?!"

Soooo, we let one indulgence turn into a whole day or week or weekend of indulgences.

Let's talk about the reason why us healthy and fit people are notorious perfectionists.

If we understand WHY we are perfectionists, it'll be much easier to stop the behavior.

The obvious answer: because we don't like to fail. So by creating unreasonable expectations it gives us an easy way out (aka a perfect rationalization) to stop taking action and quit the program before we can "fail".

But here's why most dieters REALLY do this: because change is uncomfortable. That's also why most people never do actually change.

And by creating unreasonable expectations it gives us an easy way to remove that INEVITABLE discomfort we're going to face. (This is why I'm such a big believer in accountability, support and having a system to monitor and track our progress. Because it makes the discomfort a lot more tolerable - or dare I say, comfortable.)

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I have to admit it.

My name is Adam Gilbert, and I am a recovering perfectionist.

And being a perfectionist is not a good thing.

I still have tendencies but I'm getting better...I'm progressing.

Having the attitude of, "I ate really well so far today but since I just had something that's not MBT approved, I'll eat unhealthy for the rest of the day," is very irrational.

If we play the all or nothing game, we always end up with nothing. Every single time. It's why I don't like making absolute statements such as, "I'll never do xyz again!"

Instead, let's focus on doing xyz LESS.

There is no such thing as perfection...

There is only progress!

And that's what life is about. Moving forward, growing, and evolving.

In fact, being a perfectionist is a childlike way of living.

We are not children. We are adults in control. We are more powerful than we think. (I know - I sound like a corny motivational speaker but it's the truth!)

Being a perfectionist and having the "If I can't be perfect, why bother" attitude suggests that the only position worth having in life is being the winner.

Unless you're trying to become one of the best basketball players to ever play the game this doesn't really apply to us.

Besides, no one likes playing games with a sore loser.

So, if we can't be the winner, we shouldn't bother playing the game?

That is a childlike way of thinking. It means that any small improvements in our weight, shape, mobility, and breathing are unimportant.

It means that any changes in the way we think, react, and act around food don't count.

It means that any changes in the way we think about exercise don't matter.

No one created the body of their dreams overnight.

Day by day. Meal by meal. Workout by workout. Improvement by improvement. Choice by choice. Daily Feedback by Daily Feedback.

Progress. NOT perfection.

I repeat...

Progress. NOT perfektchin.

**

Tonight, Lebron James and his Miami Heat are facing elimination. The San Antonio Spurs are leading the series 3 games to 2. The first team to win 4 games wins the NBA Finals. He has to play perfect for the next 2 games for the Miami Heat to win.

We don't.

So let's focus on progress this week. Not perfection. Leave that to Lebron.

-Adam

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Did you know MyBodyTutor was featured on Good Morning America, AOL.com, Yahoo!, and countless other national media because of the results we get for our clients? Sure, that makes my mom proud. But what I really care about is what our clients are saying. Check it out by clicking here. And if you have any questions, at all, always feel free to message me. I'm here to help. Actually, I live to help! :)