It’s not always about how much effort you put in, but putting in a consistent effort each and every day. Do you manage your health and fitness every single day through diet, nutrition, and physical activity? Do you train your mind through learning, reading, and challenging yourself in new ways? Do you get the required sleep, rest/recovery, and live a lifestyle conducive to meet your personal goals? Only when all these pieces are in place and become daily habits will you get the best, sustained, results.
Of course there is needed time to relax both mentally and physically..or even experiment with a new way of doings things. I personally have a “foundation” of things I do and find myself going back to, but do not limit myself from learning new ways of trying to accomplish the same goal. With the long term goal of health and fitness, I switched from a It Should Fit Your Macros (ISFYM) style diet, eating 5-6 meals a day from entirely healthy, organic, unprocessed foods to a Intermittent Fasting (IM) diet after reading the research supporting the numerous health benefits. I now have gone back to my original ISFYM style of dieting based on personal results, short-term goals, and preference. The key is to make choices and experiment with your long term goals in mind. Know your long-term goals, experiment with short-term goals to reach those…. learn more, work hard, and rest physical and mentally to allow yourself to keep going.