Yesterday's exercise - an exercise on how to not be perfect , but just get it done.

My plan was to put onThe Complete Collection of Sweatin' to the Oldies , and boogie down with Richard Simmons. At one time I had got in better shape by following this guy as he enticed us to exercise. What I love about Richard Simmons is that he was at one time very fat, and he is sympathetic. But he does not use criticism as a motivator. Anyway, I could not get the movie player to work. What was I to do? I simply took the spirit of the idea, started marching around and waving my arms around for the twenty minutes. My son was playing some music in the other room so I exercised to that. I had the familiar aerobic glow by the end of the session. I had done it - not perfectly, but it had got done.

Later on that evening I came across Barbara Sher on UTube that spoke to perfectionism so eloquently. Like much of life, fitness and health can become joyless, impossible, limiting pursuits if we go about them in a perfectionist manner rather than taking one step at a time and enjoying the view on the walk. I believe this gentle approach is crucial to obtaining and gaining fitness, avoiding emotional eating, and indeed obtaining any personal goal.