I hope you've all had a good weekend and its not been too indulgent for you all! Which funnily enough, is what I'm going to be discussing here today.
How many times have you decided to start a healthy lifestyle? I think the majority of people would answer this question with 'more than once'. I know I have - and I couldn't even begin to count how many times. I came close in 2012 but I let a lot of things go after my half marathon In September. I had cut so many things from my life that I was beginning to feel miserable because I felt like I was missing out.
So I picked up old habits and totally let myself go. I began drinking wine on nights in, having bigger dinner portions, never turning down desserts and eating things I swore when I was vegan I would never eat again (McDonald's included, my head is hung in shame).
These habits all got increasingly worse as the year progressed and i saw January 'a fresh start' draw closer. It's kind of like the smoker who smokes a pack of 10 because he knows he's quitting the next day, it's completely counter productive. This is an issue I've discussed with a lot of my girlfriends recently and it seems everyone sees healthy eating as an 'all or nothing' thing. Which unfortunately feels to me like the old diets. Remember those? Diets? I'm just going to do this for 3 weeks, lose a few pounds and go back to normal? No wonder they got the yoyo reputation. This mentality needs to be abolished as far as I'm concerned!
Changing your lifestyle is hard. Whether it's quitting smoking, eating healthier, taking up a new hobby or exercise or dropping the booze. Not only will it effect you, but it will effect those around you. You've spent your entire life forging relationships with people based on our habits. Everyone has drinking buddies, foodie friends, people they only run into when outside smoking etc. etc. so making a decision that's good for you, is bound to take its toll on others. Unfortunately, quitting smoking might mean you see a few less familiar faces in your days - but if that's the only time you communicate, those faces really aren't that important to you.
So why do we let ourselves fall at the first hurdle, (or any hurdle regarding on your will power)? We obviously wanted to make the change, we were motivated enough at one point to make the decision to change so why give up? Could it possibly be because eventually, the thought of going the rest of your life without something you love (insert>chocolate>cigarettes>wine>vegging_out>here) is going to outweigh the initial motivation? I think it is. And where smoking is concerned, until you realise going your life without it is the best thing you could ever do for yourself, you may feel like you are missing out.
However with all the other aforementioned things, no one says you have to go the rest of your life pining for the things you miss. I recently read about the 80/20 rule which states you should stick to healthy living 80% of the time and let yourself have a bit of what you fancy 20% of the time.
I agree with this to a certain extent - isn't it better to have a square of chocolate every day and enjoy it then to go 2 weeks without it, binge and give up? This obviously depends on the individual, what your naughty food of choice is and how often you should let yourself have it. For me personally, I would rather be good all the time and welcome cheat days :D
Now I think this says a lot about my love for food when I say that a fun day out for me is a trip to wholefoods! For those of you who don't know this chain, they're a big American franchise that offer only good quality products, healthy and unhealthy! And yes, that is a 75ft butchers counter.
I must stress that this might not seem like an indulgent meal to some of you guys but I did also had pudding and all of these things combined brought me well over my usual daily allowance of everything!
The next day, I got up feeling great and made up my protein shake as normal. No guilt here people ;) I even had chocolate fondue at a friends the next night!
Now weekends like this can often be the reason so many people lose faith and give up. How do you get the balance right? Food & drink especially are social things, you don't want to be the person who won't come to the pub because you're not drinking. Or passing up meals with friends and loved ones because you don't think they'll cater to your 'diet' (I use this in the sense that what you eat is your diet, not the yoyo sense!). So do the things you love, in moderation! I cannot stress this enough. Too many times I have heard people excuse their downfalls because they just 'needed' something so much. Don't let it get to that stage. If sweet treats is your downfall, start eliminating by cutting down the amount you eat rather than cutting it out completely. Then maybe after a few weeks, cut it down further... Are you a huge wine head? Out drinking with friends, try having one glass of your favourite tipple and then switch to vodka, lime and soda water. You'll still feel sociable because your drinking and you'll be saving yourself hundreds of calories!
And more than anything guys, if you mess up, do not hate yourself for it! Everyone has days where they're so upset with themselves because they ate or drank to much but this guilt only leads to more excessive behaviour! End it now, don't let the cycle get you.
Keep things that are important to you in your life whilst remembering that you and your health should be your number 1 priority.
Minnie
Xxx
