Getting back on track with your diet, exercise and general health

Friday

It would be so much easier to exercise every day if life just cooperated a little bit.  Exercise is like lots of other things, once you are in the habit of daily exercise there is a kind of flow.  But once you get away from it... watch out.


That is where I am at right now - spending this past week sick with a cold, I did not exercise and now I am literally going to have to make myself start back up.



Surfing the web about tips on getting back on track, I ran across this article and I thought I would share it with you:

“7 Things You Can Do Today to Get Back on Track With Your Diet”

by Frederic Patenaude
I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities.

Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being sedentary for a little while.

Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit 100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”.

So here are 7 things you can do *today* to get back on track with your diet.

1- Don't Be Hard on Yourself

We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all the successes you've had so far.

So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long way.

2- Reset Your System and Fast

In my book “The Raw Secrets”, I talked about the value of occasionally fasting 24 to 36 hours, or even 2-3 days (longer fasts should be supervised).

This is especially useful to get back on track with your diet. Fasting just 24 to 36 hours will literally “reset” your system and make it much easier to start eating right again.

Don't get me wrong. I don't suggest doing the harmful pattern of binging now and fasting later. I'm just saying that a short fast might be just what you need to give your body a chance to get back to a state of balance.

You can refer to my book “The Raw Secrets” for more information. If you're unsure about doing a short fast or your health does not permit it, then simply having a couple days of mono-fruit meals (only eating one type of fruit per meal), will give you great results.

3- List Your Benefits

When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons *why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at all?

Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small difficulty will throw you off balance.

So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see it!

4- Recommit

Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go.

After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else, someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and tell them you commit to achieving those results.

5- Give Yourself a Goal

In addition to writing your list of benefits, give yourself one to three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within the next 6 to 12 months.

Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row.

Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and keep your mind focused on them.

6- Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown

No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain your diet.

Prepare for success and envision different things that could potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments? Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or someone who supports you.

7- Get Coaching and Support

Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do you think that you will make it without one?

A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your successes with you.

Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to make your list of benefits come true.

If you can afford it, having a personal health coach will make a tremendous difference for you.

So, now that you're armed with these 7 tips I have revealed in this article, start using them, and if possible, have a coach help you in the process.

Once you start applying them, you will understand why they make all the difference!

  “Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book "The Raw Secrets". He is currently giving away free access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.”

Share/Save/Bookmark

5 comments:

Jess March 6, 2010 at 5:11 PM  

Hey! I definitely know what it's like to fall off plan (I've been yoyo'ing between 180 and 210 for the last 3 years!) and it's hard to get out of, but in the long run, it's that ability to get out of the rut that makes us winners and achieve long-termed success. All of us fall into ruts, but what matters most is the ability to get out of the low points.

Thanks for stopping by my blog! As for cutting mindless eating out, I think it's not so much "cutting" but "replacing". I use the blog and my recipes and my cooking in place of eating, and I've found it to be a great substitute. In the process of creating/making food, I've found another joy in life to occupy my time with :)

Your joys might not be the same but I encourage you to find hobbies and something else that keeps your mind pumping during those moments when you want to binge.

Have a great weekend!

Lauralei March 6, 2010 at 6:54 PM  

thanks ladies - i am a hobby person for sure - scrapbookking, painting, reading, animals, gardening, quilting - to name a few :)

'Drea March 6, 2010 at 7:28 PM  

When your cold is over, you'll be feeling like yourself again and up for your usual regimen.

I'm sure you'll get your groove back...

The Fat Foreigner March 6, 2010 at 8:34 PM  

I best thing I find that helps me is to make my apartment 'binge-proof', meaning that if I get cravings or just want to eat eat eat, there isn't any junk or snack food in my place that just be stuffed in my mouth. It saves me sometimes.

Thanks for your comment! I don;t see it so much as 'brave' but when I start hiding things for my blog it tends to be the first step in a downward spiral. If I can say honestly what's what instead of disapearing, I can usually move on from them.

shelley March 6, 2010 at 9:07 PM  

Hi Laura,
Thanks sooo much for stopping over! Don't beat yourself up, when your cold is over I know it will be a pain in the buttt literally but you know like i know you gotta get back out there and exercise. I'm on week 2 and i do feel like i have more energy... I know I know how hard it is but just do it you will feel so much better... and as for all of these "diets" I don't know i really think a "diet" is a temporary state of mind until the "next time." After 40 plus years I am finally learning you need to eat to "nourish" your body not feed your emotions... If you have a facebook I'd love to have you join the Wellness Makeover fanpage you can ask my Nutritionist any questions you think might help you... Meh, I'm here for you... :)
cheers,
shelley

Post a Comment

About This Blog

This is my personal journey to lose weight with diet and exercise - share with me the struggles and successes along the way - I look forward to your comments, suggestions and encouragements.

I would love to exchange links with other websites in the health and diet categories.

Blog Archive

  © Blogger template Foam by Ourblogtemplates.com 2009

Back to TOP