You know how you made a resolution at the beginning of this year to workout and eat healthy? Then you quit bread, rice, cakes and air…no, not air, because you need that, and went to the gym six times a day for an hour and a half?

Remember how in April you did not even remember why you wanted it so bad and your gym membership did not get renewed?

And now resolution season is here with us again, and after the holiday food, you will go on a diet and join the local Pilates studio since the gym did not work this past year. And it will work, because you are doing it different…

No you are not. Because you are working in the black and white areas.

Fitness works best in the grey. And here’s why.

We cannot work at 100 percent all the time, we need rest, we need recuperation, we need to live.

We are also more than just body, there is more to moving than just parts, we have to feel motivated, and our motivation is not infinite, it needs to be recharged.

Unless you are an elite athlete, a more relaxed approach to fitness works best. There is no. Correct way to do it, find your own rhythm.

My sister had a baby a few months ago, and trying to get back into fitness, would try to workout for an hour at a time. With the lack of sleep, exhaustion and a body that has not worked out for a while, it was too much. Finally she listened to my advice of 10 minutes at a time on her cross trainer…She eventually surprised herself with longer, harder workouts…without feeling so strained.

Had she continued, my guess would be she would have given up before she gave herself a fair chance. All or nothing….the reality is, somewhere in between.

So before you start writing down your resolutions, perhaps a more down to earth approach is needed. Don’t give up anything you are not ready to give up, unless the doctor prescribed it. Unless your mind is ready, your body will not follow. Baby steps, you’ll get there eventually.