Yes we all have those days when we fall off of the band wagon a bit and miss our training for that day or enjoy that naughty snack that you think you shouldn’t have had.
I am going to start with this, Sometime we all like a little treat. We know we probably shouldn’t have it but we like it and want it. Through the years I have learnt that denying yourself anything only seems to make you crave it. And what’s the point of doing all of this working out if you can’t have a little treat once in a while.
I think that most of us, As much as we would like to look like the model on the cover of the latest fitness magazine we know the reality is that we aren’t going to look like that. And what we really want is just to be a bit healthier, for most of us a bit slimmer, but happier and able to do everyday things.
We all have our little poison that we like to have, I think the trick is learning to have a little bit of it rather than drinking the whole bottle of wine or scoffing down an entire bar of chocolate.
One of my clients has done amazingly well on this premise. She does my classes a couple of times a week and has just reduced her portion size down a bit, and is walking the kids to and from school rather than taking the car.
She has been awesome and lost half a stone in a sustained fashion (not as fast as she would have liked, we all want everything yesterday, but in a consistent manor).
Now here is the cool bit, Everyday after picking up the kids from school she has a little treat, for her it’s a Cuppa Tea and a chocolate Freddo (a small child size chocolate snack). Now she may have lost weight quicker had she never had that treat every day, but we all like a little indulgence every now and then.
The point I’m trying to make here, is that you can have a little of what you like and not feel guilty about it and still get on towards your goals. In fact sometimes a little of what you like can be a great motivator to get through a last set or the last minute of your activity. What is important is that you have planned your treat so that you only have the amount you intend. By having an individually wrapped chocolate she is able to control the desire for more and eat what is a treat.
It helps to have an individually wrapped treat too. If you open a packet of biscuits to have one it is so easy to have another and then another. If you are going to have 2 with your tea take out 2 and put them on a plate and put the rest away. I also read some research recently that said if you put your food on a red plate the colour red is associated with danger so when it’s gone it helps the brain to not want more.
But I had the whole packet of biscuits and missed all my training then ate a whole tub of ice cream whilst watching the TV I might as well give up!
How many times have I heard this? You know its ok to screw up once in a while, we don’t walk the straight and narrow the whole time of our lives, sometimes we fall off. How many times does it take some people to pass their driving test? How many attempts does it take someone to give up smoking? Well it took me 3 times to pass my test and there was years of giving up smoking and failing and even now after over 5 years I still sometimes could bite some ones hand off to have a cigarette.
Yesterday you fell off the band wagon, you know what that’s ok! Today is a new day, with a fresh sheet and new challenges ahead. With out trying to sound corny and bumper stickery this phrase is true.
The past is behind us, the future is in front of us. Today is a gift, that’s why its called the present.
What you want to make of that present is up to you. One of the greatest things I have learnt was when I was on my Pilates course and that is that “you are doing the best for where you are today” Some days are good some are bad but as long as we do what we can that’s what matters. I know that there are some days I find some exercises challenging when teaching in the morning but in the evening the seem to be easy. It’s just where you are at that moment in time.
I have learnt not to beat myself up but just to realise that sometimes I might be a bit emotional, or that I can be fighting a virus that I don’t know about (my body is winning the fight but its making me feel tired, but because I don’t feel sick and ill I think im fine) That’s the wonder of our body it does so much behind the scenes that we don’t know about.
I read somewhere that if you want to do something you need to start it in the next 48 hours in order to make it happen. Well if today was a bad day tomorrow is with in that time so just start where you left off.
So you had a bad day, revel in it and know that tomorrow is another chance to do even better!
I hope this helps.