How To Stay ON The Wagon.

Tired of hopping on the weight loss wagon only to fall off three days, weeks or months down the road?  I know how frustrating that can be because that was my LIFE for almost 2 years straight.

I would become fed up with how I felt, start or restart a diet, then fall off…HARD!

The fall was ALWAYS worse than the diet, because I struggled for twice as long to get back to my feet.

But here is what I was missing.

I was FAILING because I was pushing myself to extremes. I failed because I expected unrealistic terms of myself. I forced myself to live inside a box (A diet) that was unsustainable, and that was SOLELY why I failed.  It was NOT because I, myself, was a failure, though it sure felt that way. It was the method I was using to reach the goals I strived for.

How do you stay on the wagon? You REMOVE the wagon entirely. It is about BREAKING the belief that there is an on/off switch of when you follow your diet or begin a workout routine.  Take away the exit door, it’s an excuse.

The moment that you can realize there is only the present, the choices you are making, and the outcome of your decisions is the moment the door opens to your results.

Look, I know it isn't exact the norm to walk away from the straight and narrow but the BIGGEST trick to staying on the wagon is adapting your routine INTO your lifestyle.

You hear it all the time, "It needs to be a lifestyle change," but have you ever actually taking the time to change your habits and routines into activities that work well for you? Routines that provide you a sense of calm and happiness in your life AND aligns with your goals?

How do you start?

1. Own the power of your choice

You are either making choices that lead you closer to your goals or father away from them. Simple as that. YOU are in control. If you want a cookie, eat the cookie and enjoy it! It is not bad to do, it is not good to do, there is no right or wrong, there just IS.  Remove the idea that that something is off limits and allow yourself to genuinely choose. Not only will this remove the temptation of something being forbidden, but it allows you to let your guard down and just BE.

2.  Find YOUR sense of routine.

If you follow a plan that tells you to work out FIVE days a week for TWO hours a day and you cannot stand to exercise, do you truly think that is going to end in your favor? Probably not.  If you aren't working out at all to begin, then simply MOVING your body even two days a week is -- AMAZING! There are no strict rules, no set principles. Create a routine that both works for personal style, schedule, and still yields results.  It is an ever fluid journey. Set goals that stretch you enough to push yourself  but do not set you up for failure.

Examples of these include:

 "I will workout 3x a week, once in a gym or at home and twice outside for 30 minutes doing a combination of strength and cardio"

"I will have a serving of protein at every meal"

" I will take 2 minutes every morning to write down something I am grateful for."

These habits need to be simple enough that you feel that you can easily do them without excess strain on your schedule and priorities. That is important.

If going from zero to one hundred has not worked in the past, it's time to change the course.  You have the ability to create positive change in your life. You CAN achieve the goals you seek.  Creating small CONSISTENT changes will have more of an impact in creating a lifestyle of health than planning to make the most progress as quickly as possible without regard to sustainability.

Keep moving forward, my friend.

Xo,

Shannon