Relapse Mistake #5: Dichotomous Thinking

Relapsers tend to see situations in black-and-white terms without shades of gray. For example, they insist they have no time to train rather than making efficient use of what time they do have. They're either on the program or off the program completely. If they have one bad meal, they feel as if their entire week is completely ruined.

Relapsers also tend to have very rigid ideas of what success means. For example, they might define success as weighing 125 pounds and anything other than this weight is seen as a failure. Fitness is not a win-or-lose, pass-or-fail situation. Fitness is a journey of learning and self-improvement. All-or-nothing thinking creates unnecessary stress and doesn't allow you to give yourself credit for what you have done right or to learn from your experiences. Cut yourself same slack and avoid this mistake in thinking at all costs.