#43: Fell off track? Let's bounce back - guilt free

How to prioritize consistency over perfection in your fitness routine

Author

Ben Johnson
May 04, 2025

Hey friends,

So, you missed a workout. Or maybe you ate something that doesn’t really align with your goals.

What are you going to do about it?

It happens to all of us. No one is perfect with their fitness routine - and you don’t have to be either.

This week, I’m going to talk through what you should do and how to frame your mindset when you have a slip-up to get back on track and moving in the right direction.

Weekly Action Point

🫗 This week we are going to be intentional about drinking enough water 🫗 

Hydration plays a huge role in our performance, sleep quality, general mood, and overall health.

Many people are probably not drinking as much water as they probably should be.

It’s an extremely easy way to improve how you are feeling and the results you see.

As a general, broad range, it’s good to aim for 0.6-1 ounce per pound of body weight per day.

If you sweat heavily or are doing higher-intensity workouts, aim to be on the higher end.

Most importantly is hydrate around your workout. In the hour or two before you work out, make a point of getting 16 ounces of water in your system. The same is true for the hour or two following your workout.

Getting back on track guilt-free

Sometimes when people do things that don’t align with their goals or fall off of their plan, they beat themselves up.

One of my main goals this week is to help you avoid feeling guilty and beating yourself up by giving you things to consider when (not if) it happens.

So here are a couple of strategies I encourage people to utilize:

1. Using positive language

Be conscious of the language you use when talking to yourself. Try to replace things like “I failed”, “I’m a failure”, or “I can never do it” with more positive self-talk. Remind yourself that you are a human, and missing a workout is just part of life.

You shouldn’t expect perfection because the reality is, perfection isn’t real life. We just think it is because we see so many people displaying “perfection” on social media.

Talk to yourself with kindness.

2. Avoid completely going off the rails

Maybe you had a food/meal that you know doesn’t necessarily align with your goals.

Instead of saying “screw it, I’ll start over next week”, just go back to eating whole foods right away.

One splurge meal at a restaurant won’t ruin your progress, you’re fine.

Where it hurts people is when they eat something they shouldn’t, feel like their “diet” is ruined, and then just think it doesn’t matter and start eating everything and anything they can get their hands on.

They miss one workout or eat one “bad” food, think they’ve ruined everything, and decide to give up completely. That doesn’t make much sense, does it? I see it all the time though. This is an extremely common pattern in the health and fitness world - one that prevents many people from seeing the results they want.

3. Take some time to reflect

When you slip up, ask yourself what caused it. Was there something that triggered it? Stress? A certain environment? Poor planning?

Was it really that big of a deal?

Is there something you could have done differently for next time?

Pausing to reflect helps you to maintain control. It allows you to say, “ok, it happened, now what?”

The most important part: reflect from a neutral standpoint. Not positive, not negative, not guilty. Just observe what happened while trying to keep emotion out of it.

Simply practicing some mindfulness and being aware will pay huge dividends in the long term - and likely reduce how often you are slipping up.

4. Remind yourself about consistency

Remind yourself that fitness is a long-term game. Consistency over a long period is really what matters.

In the grand scheme of things, one day or one weekend is not going to make or break anything in your life.

You didn’t lose the fat or build the muscle in one day, and you certainly aren’t going to gain the fat back or lose your muscle in one day either.

As long as you can consistently make positive choices around 80% of the time, you’ll be in an amazing position.

5. Don’t punish yourself

Sometimes when people slip up, they think “that’s alright, I’ll just not eat anything tomorrow” or “I’ll just go extra hard in the gym”.

This is harmful behavior and is entirely unnecessary.

You don’t need to do anything crazy, just get back into your routine. Go back to eating your normal foods and doing your normal workouts. Eat your next planned meal. Go to the gym tomorrow.

Again, consistency is king.

There’s no need to punish yourself or restrict your intake.

6. Acknowledge that there are many reasons to eat

There are many reasons to eat certain foods beyond just how they will make you look.

Maybe there are social implications. Or maybe you want to eat food for palatability, simply because it just tastes good.

And that’s ok.

Not every food choice we make has to be based on what it will do for our physique.

Reese’s peanut butter cups are probably my favorite food on earth. Are they healthy? No. But I eat them occasionally just because they taste great and make me feel good.

Just be aware of it and be conscious about why you are eating something and how often you are doing it.

Again, try to find that 80/20 balance. 80% of the time, I’m eating foods based on how they fuel my body and how healthy they are. 20% of the time, I’ll eat/drink things just because they taste good.

It’s about finding that balance that you can maintain. Not just for 30 or 90 days, but for life.

7. Celebrate small wins

Maybe you had a weekend that was totally off the rails. Now what?

Write yourself a journal prompt in your notes: What is one small win I can create today to rebuild momentum?

Celebrate that you got back in the gym or went for a walk, or cooked dinner from home. Taking the time to celebrate your small wins is helpful for building that momentum and consistency over long periods.

Ben’s Best

Check out this recipe for an easy high protein meal idea

Also, if you have a sweet tooth like I do, here is an idea for a healthier sweet treat:

🎙️ Podcasts I loved this week: