You Slipped - Now What?

I don’t know about you, but this time of year seems to fill up my calendar with weddings, vacations, birthday parties and holiday cook-outs.  With the added celebrations, my schedule gets a little hectic and sometimes thrown for a loop.  It’s a good thing that I had my mental notes from Bob’s Staying on Track seminar on how to prevent the minor deviance from this weekend to turning into a major downward spiral on my overall healthy lifestyle.

 

Having an all-or-nothing personality type, it’s easy for me to get off track and stay off track when I make an ‘unwise’ food choice or miss a few days of exercise.  However, by reminding myself that I am not perfect, and it’s perfectly normal to make mistakes, I can easily get back into my routine.  (It also helps for me to chant one of Bob’s mantras – my personal favorite “Weight follows behavior.”)

 

What’s your normal reaction to a slip in your routine?  Well, you might get discouraged, frustrated or even feel a bit of guilt.  Instead of feeling guilty for the extra calories you consumed or waking up late and missing your workout, try these tips to get back on track with your healthy habits and prevent a major lapse.

 

1. Develop a realistic exercise and nutrition program.  Make sure to develop SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-specific.  If you know you are not a morning person, don’t schedule exercise at 5:00 am.  If you know you have a busy week at work, plan your meals on Sunday and have all of the ingredients ready.  Set goals that don’t set you up for failure. 

 

2.  Your program should have structured flexibility.  If you are like me with an all-or-nothing personality, try to think of having certain degrees of “on.”  Here at H3, we encourage you to practice moderation.  Food and life is meant to be enjoyed – so allow a little wiggle room.  Think “almost all, never nothing.” 

 

3.  Stay cognitively vigilant.  There are quite a few things you can do to keep a reminder and remain aware of your healthy habits.

 - Journal.  Not only your food and exercise, but how you feel.  For me, when those two things are in place, I FEEL so much better.  It’s not just about the number on the scale, but more about feeling fit and full of energy.

- Set a training goal.  Many people keep themselves on track by training for an event.  When you have an end goal in sight, it makes it easier to stay on track. 

- Reward yourself when you reach behavior goals – not weight.  Rewards should include items like a new pair of shoes, new book, CD or even a trip.  Be sure to steer clear of food rewards.

 

4. Identify and plan for high risk situations.  Whether it is a dinner party or a week-long cruise, recognizing and planning for these events will be your key to success.  You may plan for a dessert at your dinner party or maybe during your cruise you only exercise for 30 minutes per day instead of your normal hour.  By acknowledging your plan, you will eliminate any guilt that may have come with these items if you hadn’t put any previous thought to them. 

 

5. Build a supportive environment.  Surround yourself with positive people, those who encourage your healthy habits, rather than derail them.  Find an exercise buddy or join a fitness class.  Connect with your H3 friends on Facebook. 

 

6. Be confident you CAN succeed.  The last one is simple, if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?  You can do this! 

 

You tell me – what are some ways you rebound from a minor deviation in your course?