With fitness, getting close totally counts. But for whatever reason, nobody seems to think it does. Instead, we think that missing a workout ruins the whole program. May as well throw in the towel. Or ordering that burger derails your nutrition. May as well order fries and a shake too.

But this idea that fitness is all or nothing is plain wrong.

I blame the cliche: “Getting close only matters with horseshoes and hand-grenades.” Any cliche has a kernel of truth. But most blanket statements, generalizations, and absolutes aren’t exactly accurate. This one’s no different.

Health, fitness, and exercise science are nothing but getting close. It’s a science, but it isn’t an exact science.

That machine at the gym that’s telling you how many calories you burned during your cardio is guessing—at best. Even the more advanced and scientifical devices that count steps and calculate caloric burn aren’t necessarily perfectly accurate.

(Though, for the record, they’re way more accurate than the stair stepper that said you burned 1000 calories.)

These fitness tools can provide a ballpark figure of where you’re at, but they’re still not an exact science.

Nutrition is even worse.

Unless you’re meticulously measuring and making everything you eat, counting calories is full of guesswork. If you’ve ever tracked your food, you know what I mean. Even if you’re a pro at eye-balling how much grilled chicken is in your salad, it’s far from an exact science.

Food labels aren’t even exact either.

Legally, companies can slap “0 grams” on the label of anything that’s got less than 0.5 grams per serving. That combined with potential human error leaves us inaccurate by ~25% in either direction when we count calories (according to the research). Again, hardly an exact science.

The true facts are these:

1. Your expensive gizmo or gadget isn’t perfectly tracking how many calories you burn.
2. No matter how much time you spent trying to accurately count calories and track macros it’s still inaccurate.
3. It’s totally okay.

I’m not here to paint a bleak picture of your fitness future. Yes, it’s impossible to perfectly measure every calorie you burn and consume. But it also doesn’t matter. At all.

Because with fitness, getting close counts. Getting close is leads to results. And getting close is enough to crush your goals.

Fitness Isn’t All or Nothing

It seems like everybody approaches fitness with an all-or-nothing attitude. And that’s more harmful than helpful in the long run.

“I was doing so well this week, and then X happened. It was all downhill from there.”

If I had a nickel… Suffice it to say, I hear stuff like this a lot. And honestly, I’ve been there. We all have, right?

Sometimes it’s the weekend. Could be a birthday, a vacation, or hosting visitors. But rarely is there ever a perfect week when it comes to fitness. Obstacles are simply part of the game. There will be bumps in the road.

Usually, a perceived misstep leads to a downward spiral.

“They had doughnuts in the break room and I can’t say no to a maple bar, so I had one. Which turned into two. And then, because that day was already shot, I grabbed fast food on the way home.”

A doughnut isn’t the problem. The chain reaction is.

When we view fitness as all or nothing, it’s impossible to avoid these types of reactions. One minor deviation from the plan leads to another. And another. Before you know it, you’ve been off your training and nutrition regimen for days. Then we swing that pendulum right back to the opposite extreme, rinse, and repeat.

If you constantly strive for fitness perfection, you’ll always fail.

Fitness isn’t all or nothing—being close counts. Getting results and making progress isn’t contingent upon doing it all, perfectly, err’ day. That’s not what fitness is about.

What Fitness Is Really About

A good program should focus on progress over perfection. Always. It’s not a matter of being perfect, it’s a matter of getting better. Why?

Because fitness is all about long-term change.

Steady, incremental progress will inevitably lead to more lasting change than gritting your teeth and bearing it for 30 days. Sustainable transformation. That’s the big picture.

I don’t want you just getting great results for three months (or even three years). I want you to make meaningful change that lasts a lifetime.

That’s why I coach—to help people get great results that actually last.

And the key to making that lasting change is understanding that fitness isn’t all or nothing. Getting close counts. And no effort goes to waste.

No Fitness Effort is Wasted (Ever)

There’s a classic quote by Thomas Edison:

Inventing the lightbulb included a lot of “failed” attempts. But that effort was far from wasted. It was all progress in the right direction. And the same idea applies to fitness.

Regardless of the short-term success you see, no fitness effort is wasted.

Seriously. Even that weird juice cleanse that made you miserable and got zero results wasn’t a waste. Because each and every step—even a misstep—moves you in the right direction and gives you priceless experience.

The best results happen once you find what works best for you. Usually, that process of elimination includes trial, error, and adjustment.

As such, fitness effort is always productive. Getting close counts. It’s not all or nothing.

Everything you do with your training and nutrition helps you gain experience, find what works, what doesn’t, and what’s ultimately going to get you the best results.

Jaw-dropping transformations don’t come from constant perfection, they come from consistent progress.

Get a little better day after day, week after week, and year after year. Play the long game. And you’ll inevitably see meaningful change that lasts.

Fitness isn’t all or nothing. It’s about taking sustainable steps that lead to long-term success.