When ‘Better’ Becomes a Bit Much
Written by Sophie, Physiotherapist and Strength Coach at Ascend Endurance
When ‘Better’ Becomes a Bit Much
Written by Sophie, Physiotherapist and Strength Coach at Ascend Endurance
With the recent media attention around the potential harmful side effects of constantly chasing 'self-optimisation', it really got me thinking.
Working with endurance athletes, and personally participating in endurance events, I am surrounded by individuals with immense drive for success. More often than not, that drive doesn't exist in isolation. It extends across all areas of life: work, family, training, nutrition and beyond.
So where are the negatives, you may ask? Don't we all want to be better versions of ourselves?
To a certain extent, I think growth and ambition are positive things. The problem, perhaps, is that the messaging has changed. We now live in an age where we are constantly reminded of what we might not be doing, or what we could be doing better.
You should be getting up at 4–5am, running your own successful company, having a perfect (and incredibly expensive) skincare routine, before heading out for the first training session of the day. Don't forget the supplements, the immaculate home, the elimination of ultra-processed foods, and replacing everything you own because it might contain microplastics. And... it's only 8am.
I haven't even touched on social lives, relationships, parenting, races, sleep optimisation, recovery routines, cold plunges and whatever the latest trend happens to be this week.
Now, clearly I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with any of these things individually. Most of them are, in their own way, positive. The issue, perhaps, is less about any single one of them — and more the idea that all of them can be meaningfully optimised at the same time.
I'm being a bit flippant here, but you probably get the gist.
If you can let all of this pass you by and stay completely in your own lane, then you're doing very well. The reality, however, is that it's hard not to get swept along by it all and become:
a) completely overwhelmed, and
b) convinced that you're somehow falling behind all of these seemingly 'optimised' individuals.
To me, that doesn't feel particularly optimal. It certainly doesn't feel much fun. And it can also introduce a fair amount of financial pressure into the mix.
Perhaps that's why I always come back to a conversation I had on a training camp as a teenager.
A coach told us there were three key areas of life for athletes:
School/studying or work
Training and racing
Social life and relationships
He said that, realistically, you can only give two of those areas your full attention at any one time.
Now, yes, that's a wildly simplified way of looking at life. But I think there's an element of truth to it.
We often look at people and assume they have everything perfectly balanced. The reality is that nobody can do everything, all at once, all of the time. Something always has to give, even if only slightly.
Whilst none of this is a particularly groundbreaking insight, I think it's worth keeping in mind when deciding what you want from life right now. And importantly, that answer can change over time.
The reality is that you will have to let certain things slip. If you have perfectionist tendencies, that can be incredibly uncomfortable. There will always be another area that could be improved, another habit that could be refined, another standard that could be raised. But more isn't always better.
The question is whether chasing all of those things is actually helping you, or simply creating more noise.
So when you get a minute, perhaps sit down and think about what is genuinely non-negotiable for you right now. What deserves your energy? And what is actually okay to put on the back burner for a while, even if that disappoints some people?
Now, this doesn't come from the mind of a psychologist. It comes from having had a glimpse into lots of different people's lives, whilst also being one of those people myself.
Maybe the real challenge isn't optimising everything. Maybe it's having the confidence to decide what matters most right now, and letting the rest wait.
I'd be interested to know what you all think.
hello@ascend-endurance.com
Copyright @Ascend Endurance 2026