You made plans. You wrote down goals. You were ready to finally make it happen this time. Things went well for a while, but then somehow you ended up sitting in front of the TV eating an entire bag of chips and then wondering why you needed to loosen your belt a notch or two the next day. No, your pants didn't shrink in the dryer. What probably did happen is, like 95 percent of people who try to get in shape, you ended up right back to your old self -- maybe even a few pounds heavier. However, just because it's common doesn't make it inevitable, and you can get back on track and headed toward your goals again. But, you're going to need to know these three facts first.
1. You didn't get here overnight
"Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. You don't fail overnight. Instead, failure is a few errors in judgment, repeated every day." - Jim Rohn.
While it may feel like you suddenly went off the rails, the truth is, it was a long time coming. That extra slice of dessert here, skipping a workout there - it all adds up, and the answer isn't good.
On the flip side, remember that one wrong decision is not the end of the world and is not the green light to throw away an entire day -- or months. If you slip up, take a few minutes to honestly own up to the decision, figure out what went wrong (Were you overtired? Hard day at work? Late on grocery shopping so no decent food in the house?), and make a plan for how you'll keep this from happening next time.
2. You can't run from your past
It's been said that those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it (George Santayana said it actually). It's true when it comes to life, and it's true when it comes to your health and fitness level. It's tempting to just try to forget the last few months of pizza, beer and TV, but you won't be doing yourself any favors.
If you really want to make sure that you get back on track -- for good this time -- you're going to need to take a good hard look in the mirror and accept that you screwed up. You can't make long-term permanent change until you take full ownership of the decisions and choices that got you off track in the first place.
3. You're going to have to get out of your comfort zone
Humans are creatures of habit. We go to the same grocery stores, we buy the same things, we sit in the same chair in the same room and we watch the same TV stations day after day, week after week. While this may lead to a predictable, secure feeling, when it comes to your fitness, it's anything but good.
If you want to make real, lasting changes, you're going to have to shake things up. New environments and situations challenge you and make you create new habits, and if these environments and situations are supportive to your fitness and health goals, that means your new habits likely will be too.
If all of this sounds a little bit too familiar and you're ready to get back on track for the last time, we offer a free mini course where you can learn more about why things go wrong and how to recover and adjust your mindset moving forward.