I have fallen off the wagon. My fitness goals, my eating habits, everything has completely been thrown out the window. I have preached through weekly articles to do this, plan that and that there are no excuses. I have used each and every one of those excuses to avoid my fitness goals and have completely fallen off that proverbial wagon.
I have goals. I have a plan. And I have the perfect motivation: a trip to Mexico coming up in just a few short weeks where I will have to be in a bathing suit! Instead of focusing on my goals and my plan I have been throwing out excuse after excuse.
I hate myself for it. I know better than this. This is my profession and I help clients over these hurdles all the time. I should be able to nudge myself to get moving. Instead, each day that I miss my workout and eat outside of my plan, I beat myself up about it. I am filled with guilt and ridicule myself for being off my game.
There I said it. Woe is me. Do you know this place? Have you been here before? Are you still there?
Here is how I dug myself out and how you can to!
Make a new plan with some new goals. You may still have the same end goal but look at something smaller, shorter term to help you get there.
Focus only on the positive and stop beating yourself up. Its when we focus on the negative that we bring ourselves down, get depressed and dig a deeper hole.
What is your favorite activity that will get you moving? What do you love to do? Is it a walk in the park, dance, or a game of tennis with a friend? Start there. You may have to improvise but start with something you know you will enjoy. For me the gym is usually my happy place. I love the atmosphere and it is away from all the household chores and a break from my usual mommy duties.
Once you have an idea of what you will enjoy, take small steps back into it while maintaining a positive attitude. I planned a workout with a couple of my favorite exercises. Just a couple: I usually do more but I wanted to keep it short and sweet. I would have gone longer but I wanted to ease back into this and remember all that I enjoy about it.
The next day I rewarded my good efforts with a pleasant run. I wasn’t going for distance or time just a run to be enjoyed. The day after that I rewarded myself again with a ‘fun’ workout: a few more of my favorite exercises. I didn’t push myself for any records, and I wasn’t up against a clock. I just wanted to enjoy myself. After the fourth day I found my groove again. Back at it and ready to focus on my goals
The point of this is you aren’t alone. We all have a bad week, a bad month or a bad year. We get into a funk that derails our best efforts. The key is to recognize when you are there and focus your efforts on the positives: getting yourself out of the hole and not on beating yourself up about it.
