It's almost bedtime and I haven't gotten all my steps! What to do?

Ever had one of those days?

You know the kind.

You miss your step count, go over your calorie limit, missed your protein target, or maybe didn't get that full 8 hours of sleep. 

And suddenly, it feels like the world's ending.

Like you've completely derailed your progress.

Sound familiar?

Here's the thing: Life isn't a straight track.

It's a broad, winding path with ups, downs, and detours. 

And guess what?

That's perfectly OK.

The all-or-nothing mindset? It's a trap. A trap that makes you feel like a failure every time life throws up a roadblock.

Which is honestly EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. if you're a busy, driven person.

But let's debunk this myth right now.

There's no "wagon" to fall off from. No "track" to get off. 

Why? 

Because these terms suggest there's only one rigid path to your goals. 

And that's just not true.

Your health and physique journey isn't about perfection. It's about progress. 

It's about adapting, adjusting, and moving forward, no matter the pace.

Missed your step count because you had a long meeting? That's OK.

Went over your calorie limit during a family dinner? That's life.

And it's beautiful. These aren't setbacks. They're just life happening.

What if, instead of beating yourself up over these "imperfections," you celebrated them?

Celebrated the fact that you're living, experiencing, and still moving forward?

Guess what else?

If you had any plan at all, you "at worst" maintained your progress through these bumps and came out the other side just as strong as you were yesterday, or last week.

Your plan should fit your lifestyle, not the other way around. 

It should have the flexibility to adapt to late nights, long meetings, and surprise dinners. 

Because that's life. 

And your health and fitness practices should complement it, not complicate it.

It's just "how you live your life."

Let me give you an example of a typical client, let's call her "Lauren." Lauren is a Type A busy professional with a fairly routine workweek.

She might eat some oatmeal with banana, some eggs, have a whey protein shake around her workout, eat some meat and veggies for lunch, some fruit or cottage cheese for a mid-afternoon snack, a big dinner of meat, vegetables, and a grain like rice or quinoa or a starch like potatoes, and a small indulgence for dessert.

Lauren is pretty full throughout the day because these are all high-volume whole foods. She's also distracted with work or lifting or walking or taking care of her family. She realizes she really doesn't "need" as many calories during the week and still has enough energy, sleep, and recovery to feel great.

Come the weekend, she wants to go out (sometimes two or three times), enjoy appetizers, desserts, parties, snacks, maybe alcohol, you name it. So we shift her calories to the weekend knowing this aligns with her lifestyle.

Lauren is making trade-offs within her week so she can still make progress. And even if she eats a few more calories on a weekday, she might only make a tiny bit less progress that week.

Trade-offs are OK. They're a part of the journey. 

The goal isn't to stick to a rigid plan. It's to keep moving forward, making progress, and living your best life.

So the next time you feel like you've "fallen off the wagon," remember: there's no wagon. 

There's just you, your journey, and the beautiful, winding path of life.