Have you ever done this? Decided you wanted change so you went to the extreme at first, then when you couldn't sustain those changes, you ended up quitting completely? I've seen it. I've done it. We probably all have if we can be honest. Sometimes you just get super excited about doing something, you dive head first in and are completely in the zone and going strong, and then you just can't find the energy, the "want-to", or the resources to keep it up.
I can remember priding myself about going to the gym 7 days a week, and for 90 minutes at a time. I thought that meant I was really dedicated and super motivated. In fact, I actually thought that it was necessary to maintain that kind of schedule in order to be in shape. I thought I needed some professionally written and costly training program so that I could see results. I had my diet written out for me and my gym program custom made for me. I was eating chicken and rice twice a day, every day. For years! (I actually still eat it because I love it but not twice a day and not every day!)
I had the obsessive mindset for a long time, that if I missed ONE day out of the week then I would lose progress and I would also consider that as failure. I would make up that one day that I missed by having two workouts the next day or by not eating as much food to compensate for the missed workout. Oh how I loved to punish myself for slacking off by either adding more to my next workout or by starving myself.
Guess what? All of that was bologna. And not only was it bologna, but it was also damaging to my psyche and my self-image. I'm not even sure what turned this all around for me, but I slowly began to realize that I could keep my workouts to 30-45 min long, and only 5 days a week and still maintain the physique and look I desired. I also found, that having a cheat meal on the weekend, or eating that one cookie a client brought me on a Tuesday, was not going to derail me or add weight to the scale.
People often say, "I don't have time to workout". But the truth is, EVERYONE has time. We all make time for what we want to each and every day. It only takes 30 min a day, several times a week, to create a healthy habit and routine of exercise. There is always a way to shift your schedule around, eliminate time wasting activities (most people spend at least 30 min a day scrolling through Facebook and Instagram), and add this in to your daily routine. Even if it means setting up a small area at home to workout. You really only need a few things to make this happen. Resistance bands, dumbbells, exercise ball, and a treadmill don't take up a lot of space.
As we go into the new year, and we begin thinking about how we want to change certain areas of our lives in order to be healthy and to feel and look better, keep in mind that you don't have to go WHOLE HOG. Be sure to make your goals very reasonable and attainable. Take small baby steps first, and show yourself that you are capable of doing so. And don't get me wrong, I'm all about lofty goals! You should see my list of goals. They are AUDACIOUS! But the point is, I won't just completely give up if I don't hit those goals right at first. It's not all or nothing....because SOMETHING is ALWAYS better than NOTHING.
So if you fall off at some point and miss a day, or eat an entire pizza in one sitting....remember that IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. You are not a failure. Tomorrow is a new day. Jump back on and get back to it. It's not the falling off that is important, it's the action of getting back on and trying again that is the MOST important of all.