The wrong turn after the wrong turn!
My husband always says, “If you take one wrong turn while driving, you somehow end up taking another wrong turn and get a bit lost before you find your way.”
This holds so true when it comes to our health and fitness goals! For example: If I start my day in a bad mood, I automatically choose the wrong food for breakfast and somehow convince myself to skip my workout for the day. It’s like “The Grumpy In Me” feeds me “The Muffin” that tells me to “Be Lazy”! Do you ever have those days? No matter what you do, you feel like it’s all going wrong.
Soon enough I realized that it’s just a muffin! Yes it’s full of sugar, it’s not really going to help with my fitness goals and it is highly processed and completely negates everything I stand for, but guess what? I just stuffed my mouth with the biggest muffin I could find and that’s ok! Now, do I need to convince myself that the whole day has gone to hell, or snap out of it and workout a little bit extra to burn off that muffin?
I also quickly realized that this usually happens on one of those mornings when the shit is about to hit the fan, I am super overwhelmed with work, or my kids are driving me crazy!
There are certain factors that play an important role in how our day plays out. Here are a few things that have helped me to either completely avoid or quickly snap out of my “wrong turn” and get back on track!
1. Sleep:
Sleep is never given enough credit! In fact I have heard people boast about how well they can function even after just 4 hours of sleep. The truth is that one night of less sleep will not hurt you, but if you are sleeping for less than 6 hours, day after day it will affect your health. I know that people with new born children or people with very high demand jobs find it hard to get consistent 6 hours of sleep every night, but it is important to acknowledge that sleep has a direct impact on your mood and stress levels. People, who consistently sleep for 6-8 hours every night, wake up fresh and alert and this directly affects their mood and food choices. It’s a fact!
2. Me time:
It is really important to start your day with the right intention. Wake up earlier than everyone else at home and take some time for yourself before all the craziness of the day takes over. Give yourself 2 minutes to just breathe and be grateful for all the good things you have in your life. Then take sometime to plan your day, read a book or meditate. When you give your mind some time to prepare for the day, you are automatically able to handle even the most chaotic day more calmly.
3. Letting go:
Let’s say its just one of those days where everyone is driving you crazy, you are stressed and you end up eating a donut for breakfast! Now this is not a part of your “healthy diet”, but it just happened, so stop stressing about it! Most importantly, don’t convince yourself that you might as well eat crap all day long as the whole day has gone bust! Just snap out of that guilt trip and think about working out just a little extra to burn off that donut and get right back on track!
4. Adding good – not removing bad:
Think of adding fresh, wholesome food to your diet, as against removing the processed food out! If you eat lots of fresh vegetables, fatty fish, cold pressed oils, local grains and beans in your meals you will leave less room for the french fries, bread and cookies! Having a wholesome breakfast within 30 minutes after you wake up will balance your blood sugar and change your mood! Check out the Om Meal Plan for healthy, yet delicious recipes and details about when and how much food you really need.
The point is that we are all going to eat some processed foods, overeat a meal, skip our workout for the day, drink too much alcohol and feel like shit the next morning! What matters the most is how we choose to look at it! Don’t let one bad move dictate the rest of your day. Take the right turn after your wrong turn!