Feeling Stuck in Your Fitness Journey? Here’s the Fix

The first time I counted my macros, I think I lasted six hours.

I was 18 years old and bitten by the nutrition bug. I didn’t just want to go deep on being healthier — I wanted to be perfect.

Back then, there weren’t apps. Just online tools that now feel laughable by today’s standards. But I used those tools, studied every label, and weighed out my oats like a scientist trying to cure a disease.

By lunch, I was stressed. By dinner, I was doubting whether the banana I added to my protein shake needed to be logged in grams or slices. By 9 p.m., I was elbow-deep in wondering what time I had to wake up to drink protein and prevent catabolism.

This might sound like satire, but it was my life. And I was convinced this was the necessary path to better health, more muscle, and less fat.

Precision. Perfection. Pressure.

But the harder I tried to get it all “right,” the more I lost sight of the point.

I wasn’t trying to become a food tracker or a bodybuilder where the margin of error is so slight that indistinguishable changes determine winners and losers.

I was trying to become healthier. Ok, maybe I was trying to look good naked too. But I had no delusions about my goals. I was delusional about how many details I had to master to achieve them.

Why You Feel Stuck in Your Fitness Journey

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your fitness journey — like you’re trying hard but not making progress — you’re not alone.

Most people I meet who want to improve their health don’t fail because they’re lazy or undisciplined. They fail because they’re overwhelmed.

I won’t completely slam biohacking. If it helps you, great. I’m a bottom-line guy: if something helps you, even if I don’t believe in it, it did its job.

But biohacking specializes in fear, anxiety, and overthinking. It makes you stress every decision and uses complication to feign effectiveness.

They’re majoring in the minor.

Even people who don’t identify as biohackers fall into the trap of over-optimizing:

• Should I do fasted cardio or eat first?
• Is creatine OK if I’m not trying to bulk?
• Do I need eight hours of sleep, or can I get by on seven?
• Is oat milk inflammatory?
• How many reps are optimal for hypertrophy?

These questions do matter. But they don’t matter yet.

When you’re feeling stuck in your fitness journey, it’s often because you’re chasing the perfect plan instead of building the habit of showing up.

We overthink because we care. We want to do things the right way, the best way, the most efficient way. But overthinking is a clever form of resistance. It feels like work. It feels like progress. But it’s usually procrastination in disguise.

When you’re carrying the weight of trying to optimize everything, you stop moving. You doubt your decisions. You hesitate. And in the hesitation, you lose momentum.

It’s like standing at the edge of a pool debating the best angle to dive in — while everyone else is already doing laps.

Simplify First. Optimize Later.

So, what should you focus on?

Ask yourself: What’s the big thing I’m actually trying to do?

If your goal is to get stronger, then the most important thing is to show up and train at least 2 to 3 times per week and add a little more weight each workout. It’s not about choosing between 4 sets of 8 or 5 sets of 5. It’s about progression. If you’re not lifting more, then something is wrong. Strength is easy to measure. You either see it or you don’t.

If your goal is fat loss, then consistency with meals, portion control, and managing hunger will move the needle more than wondering whether your post-workout snack should be whey or casein. Many diets work. But if your body isn’t changing — if your clothes aren’t fitting differently, or the scale isn’t moving — it’s time to simplify.

If your goal is better health, then drinking more water, walking daily, managing stress, connecting with friends, and getting decent sleep will serve you better than chasing the best probiotic strain or taking out a loan for a full-body scan.

Don’t confuse detail with depth.

Trade Perfection for Progress

Instead of chasing perfection, ask what’s getting in the way of consistency.

• Is it decision fatigue at night that leads to overeating?
• A workout that’s too complex, so you skip it altogether?
• A nutrition plan that requires spreadsheets and measuring cups?

Simplify. Shrink the task. Choose the next obvious step, and do that.

Because no amount of health knowledge matters if it doesn’t lead to consistent action.

Your health doesn’t require precision. It requires permission — permission to not have all the answers before you begin.

So stop trying to get it all right.

You don’t need to earn your progress through struggle. You earn it by showing up again tomorrow.

Let that be enough.

Final Thought: What to Do When You’re Stuck

If you’re feeling stuck in your fitness journey, ask yourself: What’s one thing I can do today that’s easier than what I’ve been trying?

Start there.

Then keep going. Keep checking in on your progress. Ask how it feels. Ask whether it’s sustainable and repeatable.

If you’re seeing changes — in how you feel, how you look, or how you show up — then you’re on the right track.

And there’s no need to overthink it.

Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.