Exception or Rule?

One indulgent meal isn’t a problem. Fifteen different “special occasions” that all follow the same pattern might be. The useful question isn’t whether it was good or bad. It’s whether you’re looking at an exception, or a rule wearing different clothes.

One of my very first clients sat down to talk nutrition, and the fish and chips came up.

Him and his mates, once in a blue moon. Special occasion. Not a huge deal — and it wasn’t. One calorie-dense meal when you’re trying to lose weight is a blip. An exception.

Then the another events came up. Same kind of story with enough changed to look different.

Before long we’d found about fifteen different exceptions.

None of them were identical. Different food, different friends, different reasons. But underneath, they shared a rule: on this kind of occasion, it’s fine to eat whatever I want, in whatever portion I want.

The exceptions had quietly become the standard.

We joked about it. “Hang on — How many different one offs are you having here?”

The same thing shows up in training.

A week's holiday where you never set foot inside a gym? For most people who train consistently, that’s fine. You might notice a little dip in performance and combined with the holiday indulgences a change in body composition. As long as things stay roughly in check, it’s a blip. More often its a value add— some genuine downtime, extra recovery time from the gym, some pool time with the kids.

The trouble starts when the holiday sits next to Christmas, next to the business trips, next to every work week where things turn manic — each time the story is different, but the behaviour is the same: when my routine changes, training disappears.

That’s not fifteen exceptions. That’s one rule.

None of this is about labelling things good or bad. It’s about noticing direction. Some behaviours run with the progress you want. Some run against it. A true exception usually doesn’t move the needle much either way. A rule dressed up as an exception often does.

So if you’re heading into a real exception — a big wedding anniversary, a one-off celebration — don’t fret the meal or missed session. Enjoy it. Your baseline comes back quick enough.

But If you’re about to take your fourth business trip this quarter, or you’re deep into another stretch where the routine keeps disappearing, that’s a different job. Don’t wait for normality to resume your usual plan. Squeeze in some imperfect action — a meal centred around protein and veggies, a quick 20-minute session that gets you moving again.

So the next time it feels like “it's just a one off,” ask:

Is this a blip in the data — or the same rule showing up again?

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Thanks,

Jamie