THE "ON TRACK" TRAP

We are officially ONE month into the new decade! How is the new year treating you so far? How are those goals, resolutions, or intentions coming along? Are you "on track" or have you "fallen off the wagon"?

As a nutritionist, I hear my clients use these phrases multiple times per day to describe their health and fitness journey. In fact, I have often referred to my own health journey this way. But, while these phrases seem innocent, they could be problematic since they closely resemble all-or-nothing thinking. Read on to find out more.


A REAL MESSAGE FROM A REAL CLIENT

"First day of the week and already off to a bad start. I was doing so well. I worked out at 6 am and ate my veggie and quinoa stir-fry for lunch, but then my boss brought cupcakes from a local bakery for my co-worker's birthday. These cupcakes are my absolute favorite, and while I tried so hard to stay "on-track," I caved and had one. I felt so guilty and angry that I completely fell off the wagon on the first day of the week. I was so disappointed in how I ruined my day that I just picked up fast food on the way home because honestly - what's the point? I'll get back on the wagon tomorrow. "


THE ALL-OR-NOTHING CYCLE

Now, there's nothing wrong with the idea of wanting to get back to your routine after making some unhealthful choices. But, in the example above, one decision (and a negative mindset) led to a complete derailment of the train. I had ONE cupcake; therefore, the entire day is ruined, and there's no point in doing anything healthy now. This is classic black and white thinking and a common reason why we do not reach our health and wellness goals. If this person had the cupcake to celebrate the special occasion, enjoyed it, and went home to have the dinner they prepped, they could have reached their goals. But instead, anytime something got in the way of being 100% perfect, this person gave up for the day and chose to start again the next one. By the time Wednesday would hit, the whole week was "ruined," so the plan was to begin next week, and next week, and next week, and next year. You get the idea.


THINK OF CHOICES RATHER THAN DAYS OR WEEKS

It can be helpful to think of each CHOICE as separate entities, rather than each DAY or WEEK. Eating one cupcake in the afternoon has no effect on the quality of your supper/dinner. Missing one workout doesn’t change the plans for the next one.


EMBRACE THE IMPERFECTIONS

Look, some days, you will have every intention to workout for 45 minutes, or cook the healthy dinner that you planned for. But, life happened, and now you are tired, your kids are sick, and you have some work to finish up at night. Turns out, you don't have 45 minutes to work out or cook after all - and even if you could make the time, you are way too tired anyway. Instead, you rather go for a quick walk. Or do nothing. It's okay! Embrace it. Roll with it. This is normal. Walking 10 minutes or skipping ONE workout does not make you a failure. You are still on track, but the track got bumpy, and the weather got bad, so you had to make some adjustments. The weather will clear up, and the bumps will end. The choice to skip this one workout doesn’t mean that the whole day or week are ruined!


BE NICE

We are all bound to slip! No one is perfect, but how we respond to those slip-ups can make all the difference. Let’s say you've had some bad days (or weeks), and you've been allowing yourself one too many treats, and you've skipped several workouts. What now? Be nice. It’s essential to be kind to yourself, especially when you make choices you aren’t proud of. Forgive yourself - focusing on your failures won’t help you propel forward!