Getting back on the wagon

There is no failure except in no longer trying.

Elbert Hubbard

Have you ever fallen off the wagon when it comes to exercising and eating well? If you're a human being, I'd say you have! It's pretty much inevitable than the process of taking up healthy habits involves slipping back into old habits every now and again.

The real question each time is how long you are going to stay there.

If you have slipped off the path of health and weight loss, how do you get back on, when all you feel like doing is wallowing on the couch and downing cold beers and hot, cheesy pizza (sorry, did I make you drool?)

There are 2 types of motivation you can use to get your butt moving again. One is "away from" motivation - motivating yourself to move away from something you don't want (like a fat ass or diabetes). The other is "towards" motivation - getting inspired to move closer to something you do want (like fitting into your short shorts and feeling comfortable in your own skin).

I don't like focusing on the negative, so I try not to rely too heavily on “away from” motivation. However, if you are standing at a fork in the road (so to speak) and one leads to over indulgence and laziness, I think this is the time to break out the "away from" motivation. Remind yourself what’s like to be bigger – your pants are tight, nothing fits well, and you don't feel like flashing any flesh. Find a photo of you when you were in your worst shape to remind yourself what that feels like. Visualise yourself in that body and feeling terrible (and then put it away!).

Now you can get excited and tap into your "towards" motivation! Imagine how good it looks and feels to look hot. Get out a picture of you at your best, or a photo of someone in a magazine with a physique you admire. Close and eyes and visualise yourself as if you have that body right now. As well as these 2 types of self-motivation, social support is pretty much essential to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When you need an injection of inspiration, call a fit friend or your personal trainer and confess your sins. Let them know you need some help to pick it up again, and set a date for a workout or a walk together.

By now you'll be super motivated and you can use that energy to set up things that will help you keep on the straight and narrow in future. Think about what barriers to a healthy lifestyle are for you and set up some strategies to work around them.

Here are some ideas!
- Do you need some more healthy recipes? Buy a recipe book that attracts you – make sure it has stacks of recipes based on lean protein and plenty of veges.
- Do you need someone to kick your butt or give you some fresh workout ideas? Make an appointment with a personal trainer. The added motivation comes from having to show up when someone’s waiting for you.
- Book a massage for 2 weeks’ time and promise yourself you’ll have earned it with some intense workouts between now and then.

Remember that going off your eating and exercise plan is normal...it doesn't matter that you slipped, as long as you learn to get back on as quickly as possible. Over time, you can work towards ensuring your "slip-ups" become smaller and less frequent. Good luck!