The Great Red Wine Debate (Or: Why Your Dream Life Is Always Just Out Of Reach)

Yesterday I went to see a Poliquin Biosignature colleague for a bit of a chat and some objectivity about my own goals.

Have you ever noticed how it’s so much easier to give other people good advice and help them achieve their goals than what it is for yourself? My clients often comment to me how it must be easy for me or how they wish the could be as motivated or organised or whatever it might be, but the truth is that I’m just like you. I’m never fully content with where I’m at physically, or in my business, or indeed in any aspect of my life, and whilst I’m often seeking to improve or meet new goals I’m also often simultaneously sabotaging myself simply by not quite making the effort I know I could be.

There are so many areas of my life I’m really happy with but being happy can be a dangerous place to be, can’t it? Yes, I’m in good shape, have lost all the preggie weight and can even fit into jeans I wore when I was 16, yes I am stronger than the average girl in the gym, yes I run my own successful business and have awesome flexibility. I live in a great townhouse in a nice suburb, I drive a nice car, I take holidays regularly and I do know that I’m living what most people and even myself would consider to be the dream.

But you know what else?

I have fairly significant credit card debt, I’m rarely 100% committed to my diet, partly because I have no massive motivation to go from good shape to ‘freaking amazing shape’ (although I have just booked another photo-shoot!) and partly because I’m scared of falling back into a previously unhealthy relationship with food by being too anal. My energy management and prioritisation is all over the place, and for some reason I still choose to get up at 5am on the one morning each week when my daughter is at my parents house and I might actually get enough sleep!

The point? There is always room for improvement, if you want there to be.

what’s your ‘10%’?

For me there is no finer example than my nightly red wine habit. Call it what you will – stress release, resveratrol loading or the 10% rule but the reality is that if I want to go from good shape to freaking amazing (and I do), then all the sneaky little habits? They have to go. After all, let’s be honest – nobody drinks red wine for the antioxidants. Same rule with the chocolate. Yes, it’s dark; often even raw. No, it’s not so bad. But is it as good as something else?

Last night I ‘indulged’ in peppermint tea and a home-made almond meal/cacao ball instead of my normal red wine and dark chocolate/nut butter/cream extravaganza, and you know what? I enjoyed it just as much. Maybe more! I felt really proud of myself, and it made me realise that many of my snacking habits are driven by the fact that I relate boredom/stress release/night-time even to eating and drinking. But once I get my head around making the shift I actually don’t care if I’m drinking wine or herbal tea, it’s more about having something.

I thought I needed these little treats to keep me sane and help me feel like I’m not a robot, but the truth is that much of the time the 10% of things is nothing more than a trap keeping me bound to old frustrations, and ensuring that the elusive ‘dream body’ is always just slightly around the corner.

So. Please tell me I am not alone here. What are the 10% of things you let yourself get away of that could be holding you back from reaching your dream body or life? Please share in the comments!

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