It’s Friday night and you are out with friends. You decide to go off plan for the night and enjoy a beer and some wings. Before you know it, it’s been a few beers, loads of wings, fries and a burger. The next morning, feeling like you blew it, you decide that you have failed at following your plan and blow out your diet for the rest of the weekend.

Now imagine if we used that logic in other areas of our lives. “Darn I failed that math test. Guess there is no point in going to class next week.” “Ooops, I missed that dose of medication, I will quit taking it altogether.” That thought process seems (and is) ridiculous in all other facets of life. And it is just as silly when it comes to health and fitness. That is because life is about showing up and consistency; not perfection. Your diet does not have to be 100% on point to achieve great results. Your fitness plan does not need to be perfectly adhered to in order to be effective. You can mess up and still succeed. You can suffer a setback, or multiple setbacks, and still achieve your goals. But here is the caveat: you have to get right back to your plan after you go off track. That means not waiting until Monday, or after the holidays or whatever arbitrary timeline, you set. Get back on track now. Not tomorrow, now. Had cake for breakfast? Ok, now drink some water, take a walk and have a healthy lunch. Boom your back on track. Injury or illness got you down? Do what your body allows; maybe that means walking and gentle stretching for a spell, but you are still reinforcing those good habits by showing up and doing what you can. There are very few circumstances in life that can halt your progress and the reality is the main limiting factor to your success is you.

Jackie Nesbitt