The Sustainability Fallacy
What is motivating might not be sustainable, and what is sustainable might not be motivating.
There is an ideal intersection between sustainable and motivating that may be different for every guy as what is sustainable might not be motivating and vice versa.
So how do we find a blend of methods that provides enough evidence of progress while also being sustainable?
For example - if you’re goal was to lose body fat, perhaps you’d consider a 50 calorie per day deficit because it’s sustainable, but because progress would be almost undetectable at this rate your motivation will likely be none existent.
Sweet spot
I believe finding a personal sweet spot between motivation and sustainability starts with a mindset shift, as what makes something sustainable is not the action itself, but the expectation we have of it.
Imagine a tennis player who only knew how to play one killer shot. They might beat a few players and win a few games here and there, but by and large, expecting that single technique to beat every situation and player is unrealistic.
It’s not that that shot isn’t effective, because it absolutely is - it’s that the inability to a. appreciate that it won’t always work and b. adapt it to different players and scenarios leads to more losses than wins.
The same goes for your health and fitness. If we expect to be able to white knuckle a 12 week diet on 1200 calories, paired with high intensity training, 60 mins of cardio, and 6 hours of sleep every day, then it’s not that these methods won’t work, it’s just that they won’t work for the whole 12 weeks. It’s the dragging them out beyond their means that makes them unsustainable.
But you could maybe do 1-2 days like this per week.
On the weekend for example, you might be able to control most if not all of your demands.
That means you might get more sleep, have more time for breakfast, be able take the dog on a longer walk, head to the gym at your preferred time and have the energy to push your training hard, then have time to make a healthy lunch, followed by chilling out in the yard for a bit, have the chance to enjoy a nutritious meal with the family, and then head to bed at a reasonable hour. Now that white knuckling day of diet and training might be more than feasible.
The problem comes when we expect to be able to do this every day. This is the issue with the sustainability narrative.
It suggests that we should only take actions that we can do everyday which in turn means that your efforts, skills, and strategies fall to the level of your toughest day, leaving progress on the table for any day that is easier than that.
My advice
My suggestion instead is to appreciate that there are principles that we must abide by to improve our health, fitness and physique and on any given day we can maximize our progress by using the best strategies and methods possible for that given situation. Don’t marry yourself to methods, practice skills that are adaptable to your lifestyle, and practice turning the intensity of these skills or up or down depending on the situation.
If you’re not sure where to begin, let us help. We work with busy guys with careers and family’s to design training, nutrition, and lifestyle plans that match your demands so that you can build a body you are proud of and confident in.
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