Staying on Track After Falling off the 'Wellness' Wagon

Do you ever feel like just when you have embraced your new ‘healthy’ lifestyle, you hit a bump in the road and fall off the "wellness" wagon?

You have worked so hard to establish an exercise routine, learned how to properly measure portions, and have just about kicked that soda habit, when BAM you get hit with a graduation party, vacation or a weekend BBQ that knocks down your wall of self-control. That one soda, hot dog, or innocent bite-sized cookie soon becomes two, or three, or four… you know how the snowball effect works. The next morning you skip your gym routine because you feel sluggish from all the crap you ate the day before.

Or, you may be the person who demonstrates wonderful self-control when inundated with tempting treats at an event, but your everyday wellness routine has slowly gone off track. A shortened workout here, a piece of dessert there. Next thing you know you are making excuses for your shortened, less intense workouts and justifying the three ice cream cones you had over the long weekend. That would be me, right now. Even though I am a fitness professional, and my job is to BE healthy, I fall off the wellness wagon just like everyone else.

After a nice long Memorial Day weekend in San Francisco, I came home and realized I over-indulged and under-exercised. I made the excuse of being on vacation. But, as I began to refocus, I realized that I had let my healthy habits slip here and there. Maybe it was stress, maybe it was my schedule, or maybe there was no excuse. BUT, I’m not going to dwell because that won’t help me. Instead, I looked at what I could do moving forward. So, I went back to basics and started a food and exercise log again.

Let’s face it, it requires a lot of work to stay on track with your eating and exercise habits, so it’s only naturally to fall a few steps back. The important thing to think about is do you dwell on your mistakes? Or, do you shake it off and get back into your routine in full force? If you are a dweller, I have one piece of advice-STOP! Yes, I mean the shouty capitals (in a nice way). Dwelling only feeds the snowball effect and shifts your energy in a negative direction. That missed workout, or 2,000-calorie restaurant meal, can quickly turn into a “I messed up, so why stop now?” mentality.

Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, take a minute to refocus. What’s done is done. Think about what allowed you to be successful in the first place. Think about all the hard work you have done up to this point. So what if you took a step back? Don’t let it all go to waste. You live and you learn. Now, take two steps forward and get back on track.