Fix That Flat and Keep Going!

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Social media lit up after Halloween with people confessing to indulging in one too many Halloween mini-chocolates or too many festive cocktails at the SPOOKtacular parties. We all get off track at various times of the year, especially during the holidays when we are celebrating at social get-togethers.The key to long-term success is how quickly we get back on track!

One of the best things we can do after we indulge is immediately workout and sweat out all those toxins!

It will reset your body and your mind and keep you focused on your goals. Many people attempt goals but it seems like the ones who actually achieve them are those that keep going no matter how many times they fail or fall off track.  Perseverance is one of the keys to success at any initiative.

A short term effort is not going to get you where you ultimately want to be. In order to achieve any goal, you must stick to your game plan on an ongoing, long-term, consistent basis. Getting off track for a day or even a week is no big deal if you are consistent in your efforts. But if you are regularly tempted away from your plan, you will not succeed. Consistency and persistency are the keys to manifesting any goal.  Remember that if you want to be 10 pounds thinner 10 years from now, it is not what you do over the next eight weeks that matters, it is what you do over the next 10 years. Researchers have found only one characteristic common to those who succeed with goals including exercise.  All such people move towards their goal one step at a time. They are committed to constant, never-ending improvement. In practical terms, it means that regardless of anything else – busy work schedules, lack of energy, lack of time, feeling old, feeling lazy, hating exercise – they made no excuses!  They kept moving forward, taking their long-term goals and splitting them up into smaller goals. They took it one day at a time.

Have you ever found yourself in one of these situations? You are scheduled for a 90 minute workout but something comes up and you cannot get to the gym for the allocated time. You scrap the workout and decide you will try to fit it in tomorrow. Or you have decided to eat healthier but one day you slip a bit at lunch and have a chocolate bar. You decide that since you have already failed for the day, you might as well throw in the towel and indulge in a few cookies, a bowl of ice cream and a bag of chips. Tomorrow is another day. Can you see how this “all or nothing” approach works against you?  Wouldn’t a 30 minute workout have been better than no exercise as all?  Wouldn’t a single chocolate bar have been better than an all-out binge?

Sometimes, striving for perfection is what leads to failure. 

Or imagine this scenario.  You have scheduled a two-week vacation and have decided to drive to your favorite holiday destination. You get half way there, get a flat tire and turn around and go back home. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?  But this is exactly what happens when most people start an exercise or nutrition program. They are on their way to their goals and they slip up. Instead of “fixing the flat” and continuing on toward their goal, they give up and return to old habits and patterns.  We know that 70 percent of people who start an exercise program drop out within a matter of months.  And most people who lose 10 pounds gain them back. So how do you avoid being one of the failures? It is important to accept that there are going to be obstacles, challenges or perceived failures along the way to any goal.  Those who succeed learn from the challenge and get right back on the track.

It’s also important to note that often before someone experiences a big success, they will experience some difficulty. The key is to maintain your focus, believe in yourself and keep going. You don’t want to quit when you may have been just inches away from experiencing an incredible break through.

So no matter what obstacle your experience, don’t let it set you back. Fix the flat and get back on the road to your dream life.

Sherri McMillan, M.Sc. has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for over 25 years and has received numerous industry awards including International Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is the author of five books including “Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss” and “Fit over Forty” and is the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs.  She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver and can be seen running, hiking or cycling with her two children, Brianna and Jackson.  She can be reached at www.nwPersonalTraining.com or www.ShapeupwithSherri.com Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.