Sacrifice vs suffering aka "How hard are you willing to push?"

Been a while. I know

So, I have been talking about a very important topic lately with quite a few clients.

Balance. This is key for most people. I train people all over the map when it comes to gym adherence. This means:
A) going to the gym and doing workouts I instruct (easy for most)
B) doing the prescribed cardio that I want (harder, but still easy for most)
C) eating the prescribed meal plan (usually the most challenging)

There will be other factors, but these are the ones I want to touch on the most.

When first starting at the gym, as I have stated numerous times, it will be and should be relatively easy to do so (factors depending)

But then there will come a point where you want more results, or will inquire about obtaining better/faster/more results. I always pose the question:

"How hard are you willing to push?"

It will be in different forms. Sometimes it means implementing a new dietary tactic. Maybe a new cardio strategy. Maybe a new workout decision. Maybe all the above.

What I'm getting at is that you can't turn sacrifice into suffering. This will be different for everyone. Some people can stay on a very strict perfect meal plan all year round. Some can't.

Some have very flexible schedules and more free time than others. Some don't.

I will tell you your options, and what you need to do. People then either opt to go for it, or not.

I have seen it time and time again when people pick fitness and end up going backwards. This means that now that their food is better (an example), now they don't see friends anymore and miss events or resent the gym because it's taking up all their time. This then leads to back pedaling even though their gym goals are "more strict" or "better".
Remember, the brain almost always leads the body. If the brain is happy, body will follow.

Where I'm going with this is that not everyone is a slob, but also not everyone is a professional bodybuilder/fitness model.

You have to be able to choose your blanance with the help of your trainer/nutritionist.

Life should be lived, and that is going to be different for everyone. I'm not saying go get wasted drunk because that is your "balance",
But what I am saying is sometimes when events come along, maybe you shouldn't pass them up.

There have been events/times in my life where I've picked fitness and health over everything. And guess what? Me being an authority on these things (nutrition and fitness), I regret those decisions.

When I have a end date aka. a competition or some other event, yes I'm going to be much more strict. I eat very good almost all of the time. I going to give you a perfect example.

My cousin is getting married this summer, and yes, I am going to be having some alcohol. Why? There are numerous reasons but I'll give you examples.

1) I work hard and pass up many opportunities so that I can enjoy things like this without regret.
2) I don't want to be "that guy" at the wedding being one dimensional, talking about nothing but the gym and food looking like I'm condemning anyone/everyone enjoying themselves.
3) I'm Nova Scotian and incredibly witty and hilarious when alcohol is involved.

I hope all of you understand this and don't take it the wrong way. I am all about proper meal planning and fitness. But I'm also all about my family and having fun when it is deserved.