By: Marcos Hernandez

How many times, after your fitness or wellness goals have been derailed, have you thought to yourself, “screw it, I’m already off track, might as well keep going?” When this mindset creeps in it might feel like righting the ship isn’t possible, so there’s no point in trying, but trust me, with a few tweaks to your approach you’ll be back making progress in no time!

There are two ways this applies to a healthy lifestyle that I’d like to address using some common mindsets we encounter.

1. You “broke” your diet and now there’s no point in sticking to the plan.

I have news for you friend. You’re allowed to have dessert. You’re allowed to miss a meal. You’re allowed to overeat your favorite foods. But there’s no reason to let that affect your future decisions. Just because you indulged or overate on one meal doesn’t mean you have to “balance out” by skipping future meals. Don’t punish yourself for slipping up - you’re still a human, you still gotta eat! Just clear the short-term memory and move forward, accepting that what’s done is done.

With that being said, if you do find that you’ve gone off the rails with your diet, don’t use that as an excuse to keep eating everything in sight! So you ate an entire sleeve of Girl Scout cookies. These things happen. However, don’t use it as an excuse to get pizza later and make matters worse.

With the holiday season in full swing, and with it lots of yummy food, I think this concept is important to keep in mind. Remember, some consistency and structure are better than none. Both in terms of continuing to eat normally and also in getting back to normal dietary adherence after enjoying a treat (or four).

2. Your schedule is hectic and you haven’t been able to come to class as often as planned, so what’s the point in going at all?

Getting to the gym even once or twice week is better than nothing at all. Getting the blood pumping, practicing the different patterns, and being around other people all contribute to stress relief and improved physical and mental well-being. That same stress relief will help you reconcile the stuff getting in the way of your attendance and mitigate the stress that causes. It’s quite the feedback loop.

An additional benefit to getting back into the gym, and creating that all-important feedback loop, is that exercising might help get you some higher quality sleep. If you fall asleep easier after being worn out in class, you recover better and thus increase the potency of the class towards your overall well-being. Plus, you’d be setting yourself up for a more productive next day. Over time, the goal would be to get back into the normal routine, but even a short term reduction in your class attendance would have definite benefits to your health and productivity.

With holidays around the corner, trips being taken and family being hosted, schedules will be less than ideal. If you allow it to keep you out of the gym more than necessary you’ll make it that much harder to get back in once the dust settles. Likewise, if you allow a couple holiday parties and cookie swaps to completely sabotage your diet, you’re going to be in for a rude awakening come the New Year.

Consistency is king when it comes to improving our lifestyles or getting better in the gym, but life often gets in the way. Don't let minor detours ruin your march towards long-term health. A little bit over a long time adds up.