5 Little Fitness Things to {NOT} Obsess About

As you work to improve your alignment and overall strength from your core outward {like we do in Fit2B routines} it’s important to NOT sweat the small stuff. Working on the little fitness things, just one at a time, has really payed dividends to my overall wellness in the past several years. Most of us have lots of “little things” we need to improve, and you need to know that it will take time to get all your moving parts moving correctly. 

When we OBSESS we tend to FRET and FORGET about grace.

Grace for others, sure! Grace on ourselves, not so much! We’ve got to get it right, right away, or we head down that trail of lies that whisper nastily, “This isn’t working… Why did I even try? I suck … I’m quitting!”

I’ve already talked about the lies that cause our quitting in this post yesterday, and I talked about the illusion of perfection in this post on body shaming last week, but now I want to talk about obsession. 

When we learn something new, we can quickly become obsessed with it, whether it’s a new hobby or a new tip about how to be more healthy. Like when I found mushrooms growing in our woods, so I bought all the books and made all the spore prints and stared at my microscope… for weeks on end. No, I didn’t eat any of them.

Or like when I first found out I had diastasis recti, and I walked around obsessively feeling my tummy all the time. My sister had to call me on it. “Beth, it’s really very disturbing for you to be poking at your stomach while you’re talking to me.” #navelgazer

Oh, and the time my chiropractor told me that my habit of sitting with one foot tucked under was what was keeping my sacrum constantly out of whack, so I went on a personal mission to stop myself and everyone around me from ever tucking a leg under ever again.

I’d get so mad at myself when I’d catch myself doing that 29 times a day

Because I was obsessing about it all the time! Which is ludicrous because it’s not wrong to sit that way, it’s only wrong to sit that way ALL the time and never sit  {or stand, move, squat, reach, lunge, etc.} any other ways. By the way, I’m down to 2-3 times from 49 times.

The Five things you should strive to improve but NOT obsess about:

Sitting with a foot tucked under your buttocks – Seriously, when you find yourself folded up like that, just switch legs. Then get up and walk around after a few minutes, then start your next sitting session as long, lean and lifted as possible. Don’t beat yourself up about it.

Leaning on stuff – When we load our bodyweight onto the counter or against the doorframe, then our muscles are no longer carrying that load. Our muscles are missing out on natural work. No biggie. Just recenter yourself and stand taller. If you’re too tired to avoid leaning on things, it’s time for a rest. Listen to your body.

Jutting your neck forward – Your ears should be aligned between your shoulders. Most people walk around with turtle heads, poking their noggins way out in front of their bodies, and then they wonder why their necks ache. When you catch yourself doing this, ramp your head back gently, or push on your chin with your finger. We have a 14-day ecourse that will help you master your neck alignment and improve your neck’s strength and flexibility. You should try it!

Tucking your booty under when bending over – My friend, people will still comprehend the presence of your butt whether it’s tucked under or sticking out a bit further, and tucking it under in an attempt to hide it or as a compensation pattern for core weakness will get you nowhere except “Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Town.” You need to untuck it, Nantucket! In my videos, I call it a hip hinge. Just untuck the tuck. Happy dog with a happy tail, not a shamed dog with a sad tail, right? And if you put your hand in your tummy, you will feel how your abs switch on better when your tailbone is untucked. If you have a diastasis recti, it’s better to squat instead of bending over.

Driving with one hand, palm down – This is one I’ve been working on for ages. Yes, I know: ten and two! But the years of driving with one hand reaching back to hold a pacifier in the newborns mouth just so I could get out and buy groceries got me into the habit of one-handed driving. I’m getting better at it, but meanwhile my internal rotators are tight, and my left shoulder is still figuring it out. I have to remind myself to drive with two hands and RELAX my shoulders.

Each of those five little fitness things really play quite a big role in our overall fitness, and we should adjust when we notice them, but we should NOT obsess about them. When you find yourself wanting to beat your head against a wall just because you caught your “hips tucked” or “chin forward” or “sitting with a foot tucked under” for too long or with “rounded shoulders” or heaven forbid your “weight in your toes,” please remind yourself that hitting your head against a wall surely does more harm than having your chin too far forward for a few too many minutes.

JUST BREATHE and REALIGN and tell yourself that every time you correct those little things is one more “practice” toward perfect… even though perfect isn’t the goal.

Strength is the goal. Health is the goal. The way your internal organs will better digest their food for the next few hours simply because you just realigned. Living without unnecessary pain and soreness and debilitation is the goal. Being able to rise up and say YES when someone asks us for help because our bodies no longer hold us back in those little ways – THAT – that is the goal.

If you want to learn more little things about your overall health and wellness while working out at the same time with yours truly {me, Beth, the girl with her finger on her chin up there} click here to learn more about subscribing as a member of Fit2B or check out all the amazing eCourses we offer here.

If you’re already a member or ecourse user, you rock! We appreciate you so much! Without you, I wouldn’t be able to afford to have my kids on swim team 😉