How to recover after a setback

A setback is a bump in the road, not the end of the road. How often are you allowing what could be a simple setback to throw you completely off track? Maybe you fall into the trap of allowing normal life circumstances to become excuses as to why you cannot continue that diet or exercise plan. I often hear people say “oh, after things slow down I’m going to start working out again.” or “after the holidays or all of these events I have coming up, then I’ll really focus on my diet again”. It’s okay to admit when you’ve had a setback. In fact, it’s healthy to acknowledge where you are right now so you can focus on where you want to go from here. A setback could be an actual event that caused you to stop focusing on your health (an injury) or it could just be that “life got in the way” and now months or years have passed and you are struggling to get back to it. Because it’s life, we don’t always know what is going to happen.. shocking I know. So, what can you do about that? Focus on what you can control- while you are waiting for things outside of your control. Be prepared for what you hope to come. Maybe you dream of becoming a mother - getting pregnant and carrying your own child. You might not have full control over whether or not that will happen in your future, but you can do your absolute best to prepare for it. Get healthy- increase your chances of getting pregnant, prepare for a healthy pregnancy, establish habits that you will want to pass along to your children. You are acting with your future in mind. You are waiting for your injury to heal so you can workout again- focus on your diet. Be so disciplined that you will still see results even if you cannot workout for a few weeks. Have you ever heard the saying abs are made in the kitchen? Or you can’t outrun a bad diet? Don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself that you can’t workout.. you can’t control that at the moment. What can you control? What you eat and drink. 

Make decisions your future self will thank you for. I say this all the time, but what exactly does it mean? It means getting a clear vision on who you want to be in the future - 6 months from now, 16 years from now… How do you want to look and feel? What activities will you be doing? Then, make decisions that person would be making. For example, when I think about my future self - she is healthy, she is strong, she is fit and confident in her skin. So, when I’m thinking about my meals and my workouts today, I am thinking about her. And then I ACT AS IF I am already her. If she is healthy, what is she eating? If she is fit and strong, what are her daily activities? Does this decision I am about to make align with the vision I have for my future self? This is where instant vs delayed gratification will show up. Maybe you’re having an emotional day and you just want to eat junk food and watch tv all day.. The mentality is “That is what I want right now, so that is what I’m going to do”. You feel better for a few minutes, maybe even for the day. However, that feeling is fleeting. The gratification is instant, but the actions don’t align with your values and vision. Control the emotions before they control you. Delayed gratification could be thinking “This is what I’m feeling right now and that’s okay, it’s been a tough day but it’s only one day. I want to lose weight so I’m going to have this healthy meal I have prepared at home and when the weight is off, I’ll be so glad I made this decision”. The vision for the future must be stronger than the feeling for this moment. You decide on the short term payoff where you “feel” better for a minute, or the long term payoff where you feel (and look!) your absolute best for good. Your why and the goals or vision might change over the years, but the overall idea stays the same. Establish healthy habits that will carry you through the rest of your life, including all the events and circumstances that will come. Health is a lifestyle and it’s not about the number of years you live - it’s about the quality of those years. You could live to be 100, but the last 20+ years might be bedridden. Or you could live to be 100 and you spend your 100th birthday going for a walk with your family and cooking a delicious meal. Start as early as possible so you can be prepared for those later years. Acknowledge the setback that got you off track, decide where you want to go from here and start acting with your future self in mind. -CS