The best time to start making changes to improve your life is today, and not the first day of the year, and a nutrition and lifestyle coach can help make this happen whenever you are ready.
The reason why so many people make big changes and resolutions to better themselves on the first day of the year is understandable; a new year brings a clean slate unburdened by anything that took place the year before, even if said year only ended a day ago.
However, at the same time, this tabula rasa approach can be a double-edged sword; whilst there is a motivation to make bigger changes, it can also inspire an all-or-nothing mindset that can foster an unhealthy relationship with health, fitness and ourselves.
Whilst Blue Monday is largely a marketing myth, there is something to be said that the first slip in a routine, the first skipped workout day or the first indulgence can have a devastating effect and can be surprisingly difficult to recover from.
However, it is always important to maintain a sense of perspective and look at your progress from a much wider level. No single action will ruin your routine, and here is how to avoid a potential spiral.
Avoid Drastic Actions
A single healthy meal or single amazing workout alone will not make you healthy; it takes time to train your body and build yourself up to meet your fitness goals, and that progress is not necessarily linear.
The reverse of this is also true; a single cheat meal or skipped fitness day, when you feel too sore to workout, will not suddenly undo all of the progress you have made so far, and it is important not to overcompensate through starvation, overly restrictive punishment diets or extra exercises.
Instead, continue your meal plan, keep hydrated and continue your workouts, all of which will avoid further discouragement and a yo-yo cycle.
Accept Negative Thoughts But Be Kind
At the same time, whilst it is unnecessary to be harsh and disappointed in yourself, your feelings are not necessarily invalid if you do, so do not try to suppress them.
This form of toxic positivity can end up backfiring as these negative feelings build to a point that they can affect your motivation.
However, accepting that you feel that way does not necessarily mean agreeing with that sentiment, and it is important to ask yourself why you feel that way.
In some cases, the disappointment of a slip does not come from the behaviour itself but from the end of a perfect record, and that blemish of a blank slate can hurt emotionally.
However, the path to a healthy lifestyle is a journey and not always a straight road, and you can on rare occasions eat more than you would normally, return to your diet and have it have no effect, because consistency and long-term progress are the key to a healthier life.
Keep trying, and if you feel yourself slipping, think about ways in which you can make your lifestyle work for you better, with the help of nutrition and lifestyle experts if you need them.
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