Hmmmm, so much for my ‘no more cancellations‘ policy. That was published last Wednesday, I was hit by a cold on Thursday, felt like death when I trained on Friday and have done very little since. I’m sure most of you can relate.
In a way, I’m annoyed. And mildly defeated, after publicly making my promise. But it’s also a reminder. Maintaining health, fitness and happiness takes a lot more than one strong statement. A silver bullet is not the answer. We need to bounce back and learn to take challenges in our stride. We need to keep on keeping on.
In short, we need to do a lot of little things well, rather than focusing on a great big commitment. For example, losing weight is not about saying “I will never, ever eat chocolate again”. It’s about portion control, limiting intake of sugar and fats, filling up on nutritious foods, eating regularly, limiting alcohol, maintaining hydration. And that’s only part of the picture! You get the idea – we need to take several small steps in the right direction, rather than one giant leap.
Are you an ‘all or nothing’ personality? You know the sort. When you’re determined to do something, you have the commitment of Nelson Mandela. But when it’s not all on…. well….. you’re more like a toddler. To some degree, we need to accept that we are what we are. However, if you are the bull in a china shop type, think about what you could do differently. How can you make your decisions stick? It has been proven again and again that small steps create lasting lifestyle change. Why not give it a chance?
Keep this in mind when Spring re-launches for 2013. You don’t need to train and meditate everyday. You don’t need to follow every recipe. You don’t even need to do as much as your friends and colleagues. Just keep moving forward, a little further each and every day.
And on that note, I’ll leave you to it. After all, I am a bit sick.
