I looked in the mirror today and thought ‘Wow all my hard work is gone’. I have not been working out regularly post holiday and have not been meal prepping and thinking about what I eat. The other day, I went out of my way to go pick up donuts. For the second time in one week. I never eat donuts. No idea where that craving came from but it was there.
I had to stop my thoughts right there and I consciously told myself out loud, “Stop.”
To say that all of my months of hard work in the gym is totally gone is such an exaggeration. I’m still down on the scale and can still fit into my pants – though a little bit more snug now 🙂 For some reason though, my mind likes to play tricks on me sometimes and I can be really hard on myself. I am overly critical of my exterior appearance and I get upset with myself if my intensity level at the gym isn’t all the way on level 10. A spin instructor actually once told me that he can tell I’m hard on myself, after I commented that it was hard for me to keep up in class.
A few days ago, I had posted on my Instagram that I was proud of myself for dropping 15 pounds in one year. Immediately after posting that I thought, well technically I could have lost that in two months (two pounds a week) if I tried really, really hard. There I went, being hard on myself again. 15 pounds down in any amount of time is awesome and shows hard work!
A simple change in perspective, even if you have to say it out loud a million times until you believe it, can make or break your day. If you made it to the gym today but kind of just phoned it in and didn’t give it your 100%, still give yourself a pat on the back – hey, you made it in and you did work. Did you over indulge at dinner and eat/drink too much? That’s ok, because maybe you did eat healthily during the day. We’re all allowed to treat ourselves.
The emphasis on life should really not be perfection and how quickly you get closer to your goal but it should be about the progress made. Are you moving forward? Did you devote time today to take care of yourself mentally and physically? That’s what’s important. If you keep trying and doing the best you can for that day, for that moment, that needs to be good enough, because the alternative, of being negative, critical, and harsh on yourself, won’t do anybody any good.
Hang in there, my friends. This is a JOURNEY not a quick little life sprint. We’ll all get to our goals together!
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