Hard Breaks and Lessons Learned...

I find that if you look hard enough you will find an excuse.  Whether it is not to clean the house, workout, eat the right foods, there is always some reason you can tell yourself that the time is not right.  I have found that if you wait for that perfect time to do things in life, it never comes.  You have to make the current time the right time.

If you want to make a change, do it now.  Don't talk yourself into starting tomorrow, next week or when the circumstances are perfect.  I did this so many times with food or exercise.  I would tell myself we will start exercising and eating better next week.  Then I would go on an eating spree for whatever number of days I had until the deadline.  Even in the time I have been focusing on these changes, I would go completely crazy and have a Papa Johns pizza feast, and tell myself this warranted a four day break.

"Of course, I would jump back on track Monday."  "No harm with a little break." "Everyone needs a break here and there, right?" "My hard work deserves this." These were some of the things that ran through my head.

Hard work does not deserve what this does to it.  If you have spent time, energy and sweat accomplishing something, a few days could completely erase some of the progress gained.  Not to mention it could add pounds that will put you days, weeks back from where you were before the little break.  There was another problem I encountered with this theory.  Many times that day came and went without returning to the right path.  Therefore, the break of 3-4 days would turn into weeks or even months.

After many failed times using this method when slip ups occurred, I changed my thinking.  If I veer off course on eating or exercise, I just correct it the next chance I get.  There are no longer deals made with that fat girl that is camping out in my brain.  She gets her moments of glory now and then, whether it is pizza, ice cream or a day/maybe two without a workout.  However, she does not get to celebrate long before I am back on course.

We all make mistakes now and then, but it is very important to make sure we learn from them and move forward.  Don't beat yourself up over a bad decision, missed opportunity or going off the course to your goal.  Just pick right back up where you left off and move forward.