by Frederic Patenaude
I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. Sometimes, I fall
off the wagon with my diet and fitness activities.
Sometimes I eat more fat than I would like too. Sometimes I eat
foods that don't make me feel great. Sometimes I end up being
sedentary for a little while.
Let's face it. It's rare that you'll find someone who will commit
100% to something and never look back or have a breakdown. But your
ability to succeed will be measured by your determination and
focus, as well as your ability to learn from your “mistakes”.
So here are 7 things you can do *today* to get back on track with
your diet.
1- Don't Be Hard on Yourself
We're really fast at acknowledging our shortcomings, but much less
at acknowledging our successes. It's very easy to beat yourself up
when you fall off the wagon and never take time to celebrate all
the successes you've had so far.
So don't be hard on yourself and just look at what you've
accomplished, no matter how small it may look! Compared to where a
lot of people are at right now, you've already come a long
way.
2- Reset Your System and Fast
In my book “The Raw
Secrets”, I talked about the value of occasionally fasting 24
to 36 hours, or even 2-3 days (longer fasts should be
supervised).
This is especially useful to get back on track with your diet.
Fasting just 24 to 36 hours will literally “reset” your system and
make it much easier to start eating right again.
Don't get me wrong. I don't suggest doing the harmful pattern of
binging now and fasting later. I'm just saying that a short fast
might be just what you need to give your body a chance to get back
to a state of balance.
You can refer to my book “The Raw
Secrets” for more information. If you're unsure about doing a
short fast or your health does not permit it, then simply having a
couple days of mono-fruit meals (only eating one type of fruit per
meal), will give you great results.
3- List Your Benefits
When you have the time, take a moment to list all of the reasons
*why* you are committed to a healthy lifestyle. Why do it at
all?
Unless you know the *why*, you won't know the *how*. Any small
difficulty will throw you off balance.
So your homework assignment is to list at least 25 benefits or
reasons for eating well (however you define it at this point) and
exercising. Then put this list in a place where you can see
it!
4- Recommit
Commitment is very important. It just means that you're willing to
do whatever it takes to get to where you want to go.
After you've listed your benefits, take a moment to commit to your
success. All it takes is *share* your list with someone else,
someone who can support you (ideally, your “success buddy”!) and
tell them you commit to achieving those results.
5- Give Yourself a Goal
In addition to writing your list of benefits, give yourself one to
three short-term goals that you believe you can accomplish within
the next 6 to 12 months.
Maybe it is to *release* a certain amount of weight. Maybe it is to
lower your body fat level down to a certain percentage. Or maybe it
is to succeed doing so many push-ups in a row.
Set a few realistic goals that are also a little challenging, and
keep your mind focused on them.
6- Be Prepared for the Next Breakdown
No matter how well you do in life, there *will* be another
breakdown. I'm not saying that you'll necessarily fall off the
wagon. Maybe it will just be a period of doubt and fear. Or you'll
find yourself in a situation where you're not sure how to maintain
your diet.
Prepare for success and envision different things that could
potentially be challenging. What would you do in those moments?
Take a moment to think about that and discuss it with your coach or
someone who supports you.
7- Get Coaching and Support
Even the best athletes in the world have their own coaches. How do
you think that you will make it without one?
A good coach will not only push you to get beyond where you want to
go, but will also support you in the process and celebrate your
successes with you.
Without coaching and support, it will be much more difficult to
make your list of benefits come true.
If you can afford it, having a personal health coach will make a
tremendous difference for you.
So, now that you're armed with these 7 tips I have revealed in this
article, start using them, and if possible, have a coach help you
in the process.
Once you start applying them, you will understand why they make all
the difference!
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