Changing Your Approach Isn't Giving Up: Why Flexibility Is a Strength

Coach Kris Perry-Tedesco • November 11, 2026

Changing Your Approach Isn't Giving Up: Why Flexibility Is a Strength

We've all heard the advice.

Stay the course.

Don't quit.

Trust the process.

Never give up.

And while there's certainly value in persistence, I think we've become so attached to the idea of pushing through that we sometimes forget something important.

Changing your approach isn't the same as giving up.

In fact, sometimes it's the smartest thing you can do.

Whether we're talking about fitness, nutrition, or personal development, there's a difference between being committed to a goal and being attached to a particular way of achieving it.

And understanding that difference can change everything.

Commitment and Rigidity Aren't the Same Thing

Imagine you've set a goal to improve your fitness.

You've developed a plan. You're motivated. You're ready to put in the work.

But then life happens.

Your work schedule changes.

You aren't recovering as well as you expected.

An injury requires you to modify your training.

Your family needs more of your time.

Suddenly, the plan you were so committed to doesn't fit your life quite the way it used to.

What happens next?

For some people, this is where everything falls apart.

They can't follow the original plan, so they stop altogether.

But what if the problem isn't your commitment?

What if the problem is that the plan needs to change?

You can remain committed to your destination while choosing a different route to get there.

That's not quitting.

That's adapting.

Fitness: The Goal Is Progress, Not Proving a Point

We see this all the time in CrossFit.

An athlete walks into the gym, looks at the workout on the whiteboard, and immediately starts thinking about how they're going to perform it.

Maybe there's a prescribed weight they want to use.

A movement they've been working toward.

A score they'd like to beat.

And that's great! Goals give our training direction.

But what happens when today's circumstances don't support the original plan?

Maybe your shoulders are fatigued.

Maybe you didn't sleep well.

Maybe the prescribed weight would force you to sacrifice the intended stimulus.

Maybe a movement that worked well last month isn't appropriate today.

Does modifying the workout mean you've failed?

Absolutely not.

One of the most important skills we teach athletes is how to make appropriate decisions about their training.

Sometimes that means reducing the load.

Sometimes it means adjusting the repetitions.

Sometimes it means substituting a movement.

And sometimes it means changing the intensity altogether.

The objective isn't to prove you can survive the workout exactly as written.

The objective is to receive the intended training benefit while respecting where you are today.

That's intelligent training.

And learning to make those adjustments is part of becoming a better athlete.

Nutrition: Your Plan Has to Work in Your Actual Life

Nutrition provides another perfect example.

Someone decides they're going to improve their eating habits.

They create a detailed meal plan, buy all the groceries, prepare their food, and start the week feeling organized.

Then Wednesday arrives.

A meeting runs late.

The kids have activities.

Someone forgot to take something out of the freezer.

And suddenly the carefully constructed plan isn't happening.

This is where all-or-nothing thinking can become a real obstacle.

Well, I already messed up today.

I'll just start over Monday.

But what if there was another option?

What if you kept convenient, nutritious foods available for exactly these situations?

What if you adjusted your meal rather than abandoning your intentions?

What if you focused on including some protein and vegetables instead of worrying about whether dinner matched the original plan?

That's not lowering your standards.

That's developing a strategy you can actually sustain.

As a health and wellness coach, I'm much more interested in helping someone build an approach that works consistently than creating a perfect plan they can only follow under perfect circumstances.

Because perfect circumstances are rare.

And sustainable habits need to survive ordinary life.

Mindset: Sometimes Persistence Requires a Different Strategy

There's a popular belief that successful people simply push harder when things get difficult.

Sometimes that's true.

But sometimes pushing harder is exactly what keeps us stuck.

Imagine trying to open a door that clearly says PULL.

You can push harder.

You can become more determined.

You can recruit someone to help you push.

You can even convince yourself that if you just work hard enough, eventually the door will open.

But none of that changes the fact that you're using the wrong approach.

Sometimes the answer isn't more effort.

It's a different strategy.

That doesn't mean abandoning your goal.

It means being willing to evaluate whether your current actions are producing the results you want.

And that requires something we don't always associate with discipline.

Flexibility.

The Power of Getting Curious

One of the most useful things we can do when a plan isn't working is replace judgment with curiosity.

Instead of asking:

Why can't I stick to this?

Try asking:

What's making this difficult right now?

Instead of:

Why am I not making progress?

Ask:

What information am I missing?

Instead of:

Should I just give up?

Ask:

What could I change that would make this more manageable?

These questions shift our attention away from personal failure and toward problem-solving.

And that's where meaningful behavior change often begins.

We stop treating setbacks as evidence that we aren't capable.

We start treating them as information.

Information we can use to make a better decision.

Know When to Push and When to Pivot

Now, this doesn't mean we should change direction every time something becomes uncomfortable.

There's an important distinction between a plan that's challenging and a plan that's no longer effective.

Building strength takes time.

Improving cardiovascular fitness takes consistent effort.

Changing long-established eating habits can be uncomfortable.

Learning a new skill often involves frustration.

Not every difficult moment requires a new strategy.

Sometimes we really do need to keep practicing.

But when the same obstacles continue appearing, when progress stalls, or when the demands of the plan consistently exceed the resources available to us, it's worth evaluating our approach.

Ask yourself:

Is this strategy still moving me toward my goal?
Is the obstacle temporary, or is it becoming a pattern?
Am I being challenged in a productive way, or am I simply exhausted?
What could I adjust without abandoning what matters to me?

The answers may reveal that you need more patience.

Or they may reveal that it's time to change something.

Both are valuable discoveries.

Your Goals Can Stay the Same Even When Your Methods Change

This is something I want people to understand.

You can want to become stronger without lifting heavy every single day.

You can want to improve your nutrition without following a rigid meal plan.

You can want to lose body fat without eliminating every food you enjoy.

You can want to become more disciplined without treating yourself harshly.

You can want to improve your fitness while recognizing that different seasons of life require different approaches.

Your goals don't have to disappear simply because your circumstances change.

Sometimes they need a different timeline.

Sometimes they need a different strategy.

And sometimes the goal itself deserves to be reconsidered because you've learned something new about what matters to you.

That's not weakness.

That's growth.

Progress Doesn't Always Follow a Straight Line

At Warrior's Path CrossFit, we talk a lot about building fitness for life.

Not just for the next competition.

Not just for the next thirty days.

Not just until we reach a particular number on the scale.

For life.

And if we're going to pursue health and fitness over decades, we have to accept that the journey won't always look the same.

There will be seasons when we can train harder.

Seasons when recovery needs more attention.

Seasons when family or work responsibilities take priority.

Seasons when we're pursuing new challenges.

And seasons when simply maintaining our habits is a meaningful accomplishment.

The ability to adapt through those changes is what helps us stay engaged for the long term.

Because consistency doesn't mean doing the exact same thing forever.

Consistency means continuing to find ways to support what matters to you, even when the circumstances change.

Changing Your Approach Isn't Giving Up

So here's something to consider this week.

Is there an area of your life where you've been trying to force a strategy that simply isn't working?

Maybe it's your training schedule.

Maybe it's your nutrition plan.

Maybe it's a personal goal you've been pursuing.

Maybe you've been telling yourself that changing direction would mean you weren't committed enough.

What if that's not true?

What if the next step forward isn't about pushing harder, but about getting curious enough to try something different?

You don't have to abandon your goals.

You don't have to lower your expectations.

And you certainly don't have to stop challenging yourself.

But you can give yourself permission to adjust the route.

Because changing your approach isn't giving up. Sometimes it's how you keep going.

🎙️ Listen to the Warrior's Path Podcast

Season 2, Episode 10: Changing Your Approach Isn't Giving Up

In this week's episode, we explore the difference between persistence and rigidity, why adapting your strategy can be a sign of strength, and how to keep making progress when your original plan no longer fits.

[Insert Podcast Link]

Take the Warrior's Path.

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Work, Stress, and Exercise: How to Train, Eat, and Recover During Busy Weeks

By Coach Kris Perry-Tedesco • October 20, 2026

Work Stress and Exercise: How to Train, Eat, and Recover During Busy Weeks Have you ever arrived at the gym feeling like you've already completed a workout? Not because you already have. Because you've spent the entire day working, managing responsibilities, making decisions, dealing with unexpected problems, and trying to keep up with everything that needs your attention. By the time you finally have an opportunity to exercise, you're exhausted. And now you're supposed to work hard. Sound familiar? A recent national workplace survey reported that 75% of employees experience workplace stress . That's a significant number of people navigating demanding days while also trying to take care of their health. It raises an interesting question. How do we approach exercise, nutrition, and recovery when life is already asking so much from us? Your Workout Isn't the Only Thing Demanding Energy We often think about exercise as something separate from the rest of our lives. We go to work. We manage our responsibilities. Then we go to the gym. But our bodies don't experience those activities as completely unrelated events. Physical training creates demands that our bodies must adapt to. So do insufficient sleep, demanding work schedules, and other sources of stress. That doesn't mean all stress is bad. In fact, appropriately challenging exercise is one of the ways we become fitter. The important distinction is understanding that our capacity to recover and adapt can be influenced by what's happening outside the gym. Training Hard Still Matters At Warrior's Path CrossFit, we believe in challenging people. We want our members to become stronger, improve their cardiovascular fitness, learn new skills, and accomplish things they previously thought were beyond their abilities. Those improvements require effort. Sometimes significant effort. But there's a difference between applying an appropriate training stimulus and assuming that harder is always better. Imagine two athletes performing the same workout. One slept well, feels recovered, and is ready to challenge a previous performance. The other has been working long hours, sleeping poorly, and feeling unusually fatigued. Both can benefit from training. But the most appropriate approach may not look the same. That's where coaching becomes valuable. Not because we want to remove every challenge. Because we want the challenge to accomplish something useful. Stress Can Influence How We Eat Nutrition presents another interesting challenge. When life becomes demanding, eating behaviors can change. Some people find themselves eating quickly or skipping meals. Others may rely more heavily on convenient foods. Some notice changes in hunger, appetite, or their usual routines. And now we're seeing new research examining whether the timing of meals may also influence health. That's worth investigating. But research findings shouldn't automatically become another source of anxiety about food. A person working an overnight shift, for example, may have limited control over when meals fit into the day. Rather than immediately introducing another rule, we can explore what's happening. Are meals being missed? Is someone regularly arriving at workouts without enough energy? Are there opportunities to make food more accessible? What would help? Those questions can lead to useful behavior changes. Mindset Isn't Just About Pushing Harder Here's where I think we sometimes misunderstand discipline. When we're struggling, our first instinct may be to demand more from ourselves. Try harder. Be more organized. Wake up earlier. Stop making excuses. And sometimes greater effort really is necessary. But sometimes the problem isn't effort. It's that we're trying to manage too many demands without enough resources. An effective mindset involves recognizing that distinction. What deserves your attention? What can wait? Where would additional effort make a meaningful difference? Where might support be useful? These aren't questions about lowering expectations. They're questions about directing effort effectively. What Does Your Body Need From You This Week? Here's something worth considering. Before your next workout, take a moment to notice how you're feeling. Not to decide whether you deserve to exercise. But to understand what you're bringing into the experience. Are you energized? Tired? Mentally distracted? Excited to train? Struggling with recovery? That information can help guide a productive conversation with your coach. The same principle applies to nutrition and other healthy behaviors. You don't need to respond to every demanding week by abandoning your goals. And you don't need to prove your commitment by ignoring every signal that something needs attention. The goal is to keep developing your health while learning how to manage the demands that come with living. At Warrior's Path CrossFit, that's part of what professional coaching is about. We challenge people. We teach. We observe. We help them make informed decisions. Because the purpose of training isn't simply to see how much effort someone can tolerate. It's to help them become healthier, fitter, and more capable through the process. Editorial note: This article is intended as general education, not guidance for diagnosing or treating burnout, sleep disorders, or other medical conditions.