We live in a world obsessed by diets. Some of them sound natural, while most of them sound ridiculous: cookie diet, no food diet, water diet, paleo diet, juice diet, and the list goes on.
The most important thing we all fail to realize is it’s not the diet that’s impossible to follow—we choose diets that set us up to fail. For example, how long do you plan on eating those cookies? What happens when you stop? You forgot to think about its lack of nutrients, now what? Choosing a practical, sensible, and natural diet is important.
Now fast-forward to the time you’ve picked a balanced diet. Even though it has all the vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy omegas, and a high consumption of water, you seem to keep “falling off the wagon” and end up eating bags of chips and cookies, drinking soda, and what not. Keep in mind though that a balanced diet should not be a short term thing but a lifestyle change. Of course, that doesn't make it much easier, so what do you do when you fall off the wagon? Here are some steps you can follow when this happens:
1. Don’t panic
No matter what pep-talk you give yourself, you end up in this panic mode: everything feels impossible, your lack of commitment is unforgiveable, you want to give up. Well, stop! Breathe deeply and take a moment to realize it takes a lot of hard work to have good body, and a few mistakes won’t revert that. Keep this pointer in mind, and learn to appreciate your dedication and effort.
2. Accept Yourself
You are human. Not some supernatural being who doesn’t make mistakes or have cravings programmed into you. It takes months of practice and creating new habits for your mind and body to adapt to a new lifestyle. Accept that you are human, accept that you may fall off the wagon, accept that it’s not the end, and above all accept that you still have control, and you will get there.
3. Be Patient
With great change comes great need for patience. In order to change life-long habits of eating junk food or being inactive, immense patience is required. Your mind and body don’t change overnight. Believe that with good effort and consistency and patience you will see changes and you will change. It’s only a matter of time. Practice patience. Patience is the greatest virtue.
4. Pick yourself up!
Now that you realize you're human, you can make mistakes, and all you need is acceptance, patience, and dedication, you can happily pick yourself up and start your day as fresh as it ever can be. Jump back on to your wagon and ride it like you have never before!
Remember, while riding your wagon to your dream goal there maybe bumps on the road and other natural calamities that may occur. It’s not always your fault or the way you ride the wagon. It’s called being human and facing life. But what you must remember is, at end of the day it is up to you to take the wagon to its goal—to change your lifestyle for the better—or to get off it and call it quits.
You are the journey and the destination. Don’t give up!!
