Once the luster has worn off your new goal of getting fit or eating better, how do you keep going? How do you stay on track with all your good habits once you’ve crossed the finish line?
You’ve run the race.
You’ve lost the weight.
You’ve hiked that mountain, surfed the wave, played with your kids…
Whatever it might be there is a moment where you’ve finally achieved the goal and the tendency is to feel like “FINALLY I can take a break”. But…you can’t.
When I started making lifestyle changes in college, I didn’t have the slightest concept that they were in fact LIFESTYLE changes. I just knew I needed to eat less high calorie foods and I needed to move more because the Tae Bo guy said burning calories was key.
Don’t laugh, I totally did lots of VHS workouts!
Now you might notice that I don’t so much do workouts like that anymore, so why did some things stick and others fade away? Mostly because I learned a few key lessons over the years.
Don’t Deprive.
David knows better than anyone that I don’t deprive myself. I may have certain things that I don’t eat like ice cream because it makes me feel bad, but if I am jonesing for a cookie and the craving just won’t pass I have the cookie. And I don’t mean I just eat it, I mean I savor that thing like it’s the last one I will ever have. No guilt, no stress and no more worrying about it.
Find the Joy.
I’ve long said that running is not for everyone, which is the short way of saying find what you love!! If you don’t like any aspect of working out, then find something that doesn’t feel like a workout: a dance class, a walk with friends, power shopping.
Little bits.
It all adds up. Not every workout needs to be an hour, what if you just found 5 minutes here and there to stretch or do abs or bounce around to a great song.
Traveling? Can you walk in the airport instead of sitting?
At an office all day? Can you rig some sort of standing desk?
Exhausted? Enjoy some relaxing yoga or stretching while watching mindless tv.
Easy.I do hard when it comes to workouts, but I don’t do hard when it comes to food and supplements. I have a short list of things that make me feel good and I have a list of what David will actually take. *The top of his list? vitafusion™ Immunewell because it’s tasty, nothing to swallow, made with natural fruit flavors and colors derived from fruits, vegetables and plants, AND yup I can find them at Walgreens or Target during a normal household errand. Vitafusion™ ImmuneWell™ provides immune system and cellular support, with a high potency of vitamins C and D, Zinc and Echinacea which are all great for endurance athletes, as we're often running our bodies down.*
Plan ahead.
When I travel I know the opportunities for not so great food will be endless. So I plan ahead by always bringing along my Vega for pre or post workout and then I do a little scouting to find a nearby grocery store to pick up apples or if I’m super lucky green juice!Maybe your day involves a lot of scheduling or hustling people from place to place, so you never get a real meal…plan ahead! Be known as the “always prepared” person.
Habit.
Oh yes you know this is my favorite word EVER when it comes to getting things done. In fact I just shared an entire post on how to figure out your personality and create habits that serve you so you can stop relying on willpower.
Be Open.
I think one of the most helpful things for me has been to keep learning. My diet and my workouts are vastly different now than when I started my weight loss journey, but it didn’t happen overnight. It happened from picking up little ideas here and there by reading other blogs and testing new recipes and being open to different ideas.
Personality.
Instead of trying what works for others take a second to recognize what has worked for you in other areas! Do you love variety or consistency? Do you like to sweat buckets or prefer to feel more relaxed?
There is no ONE right way, there is just the right way for you. Live healthy tips from @runtothefinish
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