Hitting "reboot"

What do you do when you have a slip up? Do you say "UGH! Oh well, I'll get back on track on Monday" (even though Monday is five days away...)? OR do you forgive yourself, move on, and start fresh right away? I'm writing this to encourage you to take that second path! We ALL make mistakes! We all have an off day where we do not want to workout or where the Chinese buffet or donut shop call to us. We. Are. Human. What matters is how you view this "slip up" and how you choose to correct it. It is important to know that these things happen to all of us and by saying things like "oh i'll just start over on Monday" just does you (and your body!) a huge disservice! Look at it this way, lets say every three weeks you have one of these slip ups and it typically happens on say a Wednesday and you always say "oh well, I'll start over on Monday." That means that every three weeks you are losing roughly five days out of your healthy lifestyle change... You do the math on how many days that would be in six months or even a year. Remember my rant on "no excuses..." THIS right here is why. YOU have to choose the attitude you have regarding these slip ups. YOU have to determine how long you allow them to derail your healthy life plan. Forgive yourself, really evaluate WHY you chose that food or why you skipped that workout, make a plan for "next time," and MOVE ON! :) I promise you, you and your significant other, will be far happier this way! Trust me peeps, you know what I'm talking about... you have a rough day and then vent to your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, etc. about the horrible way you chose to eat that day or how you just cannot possibly come up with the energy to do your workout and they try to be encouraging (or maybe this is the 800th time they've heard this so they are less than encouraging...) but believe me they are feeling just as defeated as you are (about YOUR health and choices). Do both you, and them, a favor and just remember these things happen and instead of "starting over on Monday," start over NOW. HIT REBOOT immediately! The longer you utilize this forgiveness and reboot plan the easier it will become to make consistently better choices and to allow yourself the occasional indulgence without hating yourself for it and then over indulging because you "just give up!" Try it! Let me know how it works. :)

Obstacles...

We all face obstacles. We face obstacles in parenting, relationships, careers, etc. It's how we persevere and push through and overcome these obstacles that matters. Tonight I was reminded of an obstacle I face on a daily basis, one I can normally maneuver through/around, one I've learned to live with for nearly five years. I live with a mild traumatic brain injury. Yes, really... Nearly five years ago I was in a car accident that caused a fairly significant trauma to my head. This impacted my memory, ability to multi-task, emotional regulation and other things. This is not something I talk about. I talk about the accident and I talk about having a head injury. I do not talk about the life long effects that have "healed" as much as they ever will. Tonight I was reminded of my struggle when I was attempting a new workout. This workout requires you to do fast paced multiple step moves that involve moving both your arms and legs. This is VERY hard for me. Truthfully there were a couple I literally could NOT do no matter how hard I tried. I got fucking pissed, I yelled at the TV, I swore at myself, I wanted to cry (but I don't, so I didn't). One thing to know about me, I USE anger, I let it push me. Tonight, instead of throwing myself a pity party I turned that anger into determination. I fought through it and I finished that dam workout!
Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this to show you that you can fight through any obstacle. That everyone has something (or multiple things) that they COULD use as an excuse to not fight, to not dig deep, to not persevere but i'm here to tell you that you SHOULDN'T use those things as excuses. Instead, use them to push you! So you have a full and busy life with several kids, have them workout WITH you, make it a family affair (dance parties, open gym at the local school, swimming at a local pool, etc.). So you're tired, guess what, the more you are active the less tired you are and the more energy you have!  So you work full time and "just can't find the time," guess what, a lot of people work full time, raise kids, train for big events, take classes, volunteer, etc. If you WANT to make it a priority, you WILL make the time to get it done!! I graduated with a 4.0 in my masters program while struggling with a traumatic brain injury. I've worked full time, raised children, trained for a marathon, and took classes towards my PhD ALL at the same time with a traumatic brain injury. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO! I am living proof of that. Obstacles are not meant to stop you, they are just meant to help you find a different path to your goal!