How to Maintain Progress When You’re at 60% Effort
Today, I want to talk about something that so many of us struggle to accept — the idea that you can’t always give 100%. Some days, weeks, or even months… all you have is 60%. And that’s not failure — that’s being human.
We live in a culture that glorifies “all or nothing.” It tells us that if we’re not giving it our absolute best — crushing workouts, tracking macros perfectly, staying on top of every little habit — then we’re somehow falling short.
But it doesn't have to be this way.
When you start giving yourself permission to scale your effort based on your season, you stop operating from guilt and start operating from grace. And that’s where real, sustainable progress happens.
So in this episode of Embrace Your Real, we’re going to talk about:
Why 60% effort still matters more than you think
What “maintenance mode” actually looks like
And how to give yourself permission to scale back without losing momentum
If you loved this episode, you might also like Episode 474: Overcoming Unrealistic Expectations of Yourself
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
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Transcript
00:00
Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something (0:04) super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. (0:08) You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter.
(0:12) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and (0:17) unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. (0:22) Let's get in.
Let's go. Hello, and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Your Real (0:37) podcast. Today, I want to talk about something that so many of us, and I'm talking to myself, (0:41) like I am preaching to myself first, struggle to accept, and that is the idea that you can't (0:46) always give 100%.
Some days, some weeks, even months, all you have is 60%, and that's not (0:51) failure. That's being human. We live in this culture, though, that glorifies us all or nothing.
(0:56) It tells us that if we're not giving our absolute best, like we're crushing our workouts, we're (1:00) tracking our macros perfectly, we're staying on top of every little habit, then somehow we're (1:04) falling short. But the truth is, life doesn't always work out that way. There will be weeks and (1:08) even months where you're tired, you're overwhelmed, just pulled in a dozen different directions.
(1:13) You might be dealing with stress, kids, health, work, deadlines, or simple burnout, and expecting (1:18) yourself to perform at 100% all the time is just unrealistic. Life doesn't always line up perfectly (1:23) with your motivation or your energy or your schedule or just life. Some seasons are about (1:28) growth and pushing forward, and others are about protecting your peace, maintaining what you've (1:32) and doing the best that you can with the energy that you've got.
And that doesn't make you lazy. (1:37) It doesn't make you uncommitted. It makes you consistent.
Because showing up 60% of the time (1:41) still means that you're showing up. It's proof that you're building discipline that doesn't or (1:45) isn't dependent on perfect conditions. And you're choosing to move your body, to fuel yourself, (1:51) and to stay connected to your goals, even if it looks a little different than it did before, (1:55) and learning to be okay with that, to release the guilt of not doing enough.
That's one of (1:59) most important mindset shifts that you can make on your fitness journey. When you start giving (2:04) yourself permission to scale your effort based on your season, you stop operating from guilt, (2:08) and you really start operating from grace. And that's where real sustainable progress actually (2:14) happens.
So in today's episode, we're going to be talking about why 60% effort still matters more (2:19) than you think, what maintenance mode actually looks like, and how to give yourself permission (2:23) to scale back without losing momentum. I'm just going to dive right in so that we can get to these. (2:30) Number one, why 60% effort still matters.
So there are going to be seasons when everything (2:35) just clicks, like your workouts feel amazing, your meals are balanced, you're genuinely excited (2:39) to show up for yourself, you're in a rhythm, and it feels good. But then like life happens, (2:44) work gets crazy, health is going down the drain, your kids need more from you, (2:48) you're sleeping less, your mental load just feels heavier than usual. And suddenly that energy that (2:53) you had to go all in is starting to fade.
And that can feel really discouraging, especially if (2:58) you're someone who's used to giving 100%. Here's what I want you to remember, that dip in motivation (3:02) isn't a character flaw, it's simple biology. Like your brain is not designed to operate at full (3:08) intensity every single day, all the time.
Psychologists actually call this ebb and flow (3:14) of motivation. And that's completely normal, right? Studies on this habit formation show that it's (3:19) not the people who stay motivated 24-7 who succeed, it's the people who learn how to keep (3:24) showing up even when motivation dips. So when you find yourself in one of those heavier seasons, (3:28) I want you to take a deep breath and remind yourself that doing less doesn't mean nothing.
(3:33) Maybe you're only managing a 20-minute walk instead of a full lift. Maybe you're eating (3:37) protein with each meal, even if you're not tracking your macros perfectly. Maybe showing (3:41) up just means prioritizing sleep tonight instead of squeezing in another workout.
Those things still (3:46) count. Every time you choose something supportive, even if it's small, you're reinforcing the identity (3:52) of someone who takes care of herself. And that's powerful.
In behavioral psychology, (3:57) they actually call this identity-based habit formation. The more you act in alignment with (4:01) who you are and who you want to be, the more your brain wires that identity in. And over time, (4:07) those micro actions become automatic and they're what help you bounce back when life lightens up (4:12) again, right? And this is also exactly why I created my Moot with Julie dumbbell only workouts.
(4:16) I wanted you to have the structure that works even when life feels messy. So if you log in, (4:23) you can pick a 30-minute, you can pick a 60-minute dumbbell only workout, clear video demonstrations. (4:28) You know that you're still going to be progressing, even if you're at 60%.
And there's a whole community (4:33) of women inside the app who get it. They're cheering you on in their own bare minimum (4:38) seasons too. Sometimes you just need a plan that you don't have to overthink.
So you can (4:43) stay consistent in the matter of what your week looks like. So don't underestimate the power of (4:47) 60%. It keeps your foundation strong.
And in the long run, that's, what's going to separate people (4:52) who burn out from the ones who stay consistent. Here's your simple action step. I want you to (4:57) pick one non-negotiable that feels realistic right now.
Not perfect, but doable. Maybe that's (5:02) hitting your step goal, lifting twice a week, having a balanced breakfast in the morning, (5:06) commit to one of those things for the next two weeks. Maintaining even one anchor habit reduces (5:12) the likelihood of quitting entirely because it keeps your brain connected to your routine.
That's (5:16) your baseline. And it's enough to keep you moving forward, even in your bare minimum season. (5:20) Number two, what maintenance actually looks like.
So maintenance doesn't mean doing nothing. It (5:25) means doing enough to stay connected to your habits, even if that connection looks different (5:29) than it did a few months ago. Sometimes that means lifting two or three days a week instead of five.
(5:34) Sometimes it's going for walks when you don't have the energy for a full workout. And sometimes (5:38) it's simply keeping a promise to yourself that you'll keep showing up in those small ways, (5:43) even when life feels heavy. Psychologists actually call this habit scaffolding, right? The idea that (5:48) when life feels chaotic, you don't tear down your routines.
You just scale them. You keep the (5:53) structure, even if you shrink the size. This protects your progress because it prevents this (5:58) all or nothing thinking that leads so many of us to starting over again and again and again.
(6:03) But let's talk about where most of us struggle in maintenance the most, and that's food. Because (6:09) workouts are one thing, but nutrition, that's where the guilt, the confusion, the perfectionism tend (6:13) to creep in. You might start thinking, if I'm not tracking every meal or hitting every macro, (6:17) what's the point? In reality, maintaining your progress with is about staying mindful (6:22) and keeping your body fueled enough to feel good.
Maybe that means still focusing on protein with (6:27) every meal, even if you're not logging it. Maybe it's keeping snacks on hand so you don't skip (6:33) meals when the day gets away from you. Or maybe it's practicing portion control, listening to (6:37) your hunger cues instead of defaulting to restriction.
This is what's called flexible (6:40) restraint, a style of eating linked to a better long-term success and fewer binge restrict cycles. (6:46) So when you allow yourself to adapt, you're teaching your brain that your nourishment doesn't (6:50) depend on perfect conditions. And that mindset shift keeps your metabolism and your mind steady.
(6:56) That's also why I created my Macro Ketamine Simple Online Academy. I wanted women to finally (7:01) have the framework for food that actually works in every season. So whether you're tracking tightly, (7:07) you're eating intuitively or somewhere in between.
Inside this academy, I'm going to teach you how (7:11) to calculate your macros for your unique goals, but more importantly, how to understand them. (7:17) When you know how to fuel your body, you can adjust confidently through life's up and downs (7:21) without guilt, guessing, or starting from zero. I always tell my students, macro counting is (7:26) about clarity.
Once you know how food supports your body, you can give yourself more grace while (7:31) still staying consistent. Kind of an action step with this. This week, I want you to pick one simple (7:37) nutrition anchor and commit to this.
Maybe that's hitting your protein goal or drinking water before (7:41) coffee or every meal or eating three balanced meals a day. Keep it small, but keep it consistent. (7:47) Maintaining even one keystone habit, like a stable meal pattern, that can stabilize your motivation (7:53) and make it easier to rebuild momentum when life feels easier again.
So whether you're tracking, (7:58) you're estimating, or just paying attention, remember you're still in it. Maintenance is (8:01) not about falling behind. It's learning to hold steady until you're ready to push forward again.
(8:06) Number three, redefining progress. So progress doesn't always show up in the way that you (8:10) expect it to. It isn't just this new PR in your workout, change in the mirror, or number on the (8:14) scale.
Real progress happens quietly in the moments that nobody sees. It's choosing to stay steady (8:20) when walking away would have been so much easier. It's following through on the small promises that (8:24) you made to yourself, getting outside for a walk, even if it's freaking cold, prepping your lunch, (8:29) choosing rest when your body needs it.
Even when motivation is gone, it's the little decisions (8:34) that remind you that you're still in this and that you still care about how you feel. There's (8:38) actual signs behind that, and it's called self-efficacy, right? The belief that you can (8:42) follow through on what you say you will. Each time that you keep a small commitment, you strengthen (8:47) that belief over time, and that confidence becomes the foundation of consistency.
You start to trust (8:52) yourself again. You stop relying on willpower alone because you've proven through action that (8:56) you'll show up. So if you're in a bare minimum season right now, I want you to hear me clearly.
(9:01) You are not failing. You're developing one of the strongest muscles there is, which is resilience. (9:05) You're learning how to keep your health sustainable, not just when it's easy, but when life (9:10) feels heavy and unpredictable.
And that skill, more than any macro plan or any workout routine, (9:15) is what keeps progress alive for the long run. When your energy returns, and it will, (9:20) you won't have to rebuild it from scratch. You'll already have the rhythm to trust (9:24) and the habits to keep you grounded.
I remind women all the time about this inside my (9:28) Moment With Julie community. Consistency isn't built during the high energy seasons. It's built (9:33) in the in-between.
The women who thrive aren't the ones doing everything perfectly. They're the (9:38) ones who keep showing up imperfectly but intentionally, even when it would have been (9:42) so much easier to check out. So take a second and give yourself credit for how far and how much (9:48) you've been showing up lately.
You're doing so much more than you think. Before you go to bed (9:52) tonight, jot down three things that in three ways that you honored your health today or this week. (9:58) Maybe it was drinking your water, lifting twice instead of five times, saying no to something (10:03) that drained you, naming your wins.
That's going to help your brain recognize progress in real (10:07) time. And that recognition is what keeps you moving forward, even when progress feels slow. (10:12) Because success isn't built from perfect effort.
It's built from showing up with grace (10:17) again and again and again. All right. The quick recap, 60% effort still matters because it keeps (10:24) your habits alive.
Maintenance isn't doing nothing. It's doing enough. And progress can look like (10:29) stability, peace, or simply not giving up.
If you love this episode, I know you'll also love (10:33) episode 474, Overcoming Unrealistic Expectations of Yourself. And if you want structure and support (10:39) through your bare minimum season, check out my Moment With Julie community. Dumbbell-only workouts, (10:43) all you need is a few pair of dumbbells in a small space.
You'll get 50% off your first month. (10:47) If you're a brand new subscriber, if you are an existing subscriber and you want to sign up (10:50) annually, you get $40 off annually. That's about with the discount that you already get annually, (10:57) plus an additional $40 off.
That's about four months free that you're getting if you sign up (11:02) annually. So you can go to salesale.momentwithjulie.com. Again, that's salesale.momentwithjulie.com. I'll (11:09) link it in the show notes so you can easily go check that out. If this episode reminds you to (11:13) give yourself grace, take a few seconds and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, leave a review on (11:19) Spotify or rate it.
We would love to hear from you. It truly does help more women hear this message. (11:25) You've got this.
Just remember that 60% is still forward. I love you so dang much. I mean it.
(11:29) I'll talk to you in the next one. (11:39) All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. (11:45) First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so.
Julie A. (11:50) Ledbetter, yes, it's with an A in the middle, for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips (11:56) and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, (12:01) be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me.
(12:08) It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful (12:13) women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being (12:19) authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface, so go out (12:25) there and embrace your real, because you're worth it.