A temporary lapse in dietary willpower and fitness discipline can leave you feeling pretty disgusting. The good news is there are a few easy tips that can help you get back into the healthy groove.
Let's be honest. A temporary lapse in dietary willpower and fitness discipline can leave you feeling pretty disgusting. It doesn't really matter the reason. There can be many. Stress, fatigue, depression, laziness, or busy schedules are just a few examples. The real issue, at least for me, is the downward spiral brought on by experiencing both dietary and fitness lapses concurrently. It seems when times are tough for me, I “chalk the day up as a loss” more often than I like. I guess when I eat a whole box of Zingers, or have three pints and a basket of chicken fingers after work that I just feel like the workout is pointless. I know this is not true, and I know if I could just maintain one or the other, my workout or my diet, that I could save myself from the slide into the abyss. But, I am not going to sit here and tell you to do as I say and not as I do. The truth is, these lapses will happen, and I will continue to have binges in combination with bouts of laziness. The good news is there are easy ways to climb out of the hole. So, if the same thing happens to you every once and a while, maybe these tips can help you get back into the healthy groove.
Wear Looser Pants for the First Couple of Days
Snugness on my thighs and belly propagate the hopeless feeling. The hopeless feeling leads me right back to the snack cakes and the couch.
Wait to Eat Until You are Hungry
I am always amazed by the effect that a rumble in my tummy has on my self-image. I immediately feel thinner.
Eat Multiple Smaller Meals While Getting Back on Track
Going from 3 larger meals to 5 smaller meals helps me wait until I am hungry to eat. And I know once I am hungry, I can eat guilt-free. I don't have to say “I can't believe I am hungry”. There is something motivating about knowing that I earned the hunger.
Try a Standardized Diet for 3 to 5 Days
I eat the same thing for every meal but dinner the first 5 days of a recovery mission. This promotes planning of meals, and ensures that I have healthy food ready to eat when I am hungry. If I “play it by ear” I subconsciously give myself permission to eat larger meals of yummy, but not-so-healthy food.
Do All of Your Normal Activities More Extreme
For me, extreme means farther and faster. I walk between buildings at work instead of driving. I walk to the far bathroom instead of the closer one. I make sure that I use the stairs on the way to or back from a simple out and back task that is on the same floor as my office (I make a vertical loop). I walk the dogs longer and faster.
Drink More Water
I know it is good for me, but it just makes me feel better. My mind knows it is good for me, hence, I feel better.
Lay Off the Beer
I love beer, but it makes me feel really bloated which my mind interprets as fat. I cut out or reduce my beer intake for 3 to 5 days
These are all relatively simple tasks. They are, in general, not foreboding or stress-inducing. These tips don't involve radical diet changes or insane fitness goals. Following these tips doesn't make me feel like an elite athlete, but they help get me back on track so that I can be. Hopefully, they can help get you back on track to wherever it is you are going too.
