{Fit and Strong Day 30}: For When You Backslide

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Finding yourself backsliding from your fitness regimen?

I wish there is a surefire way to prevent it from happening. But, even the toughest of resolves crumble when you take your eyes off the goal and give in to the whispers of excuses. So what do you do? Do you throw in the towel? Of course not. The secret of really successful people is that they do not give up with just a few failures. The achievers are always highly motivated because they fight for a cause. So what do you say we make health and fitness and getting stronger our cause here?

Any endeavor will always have some setbacks, no matter how well things are planned and laid out.  Fitness is no exception, as we all probably know.  Otherwise, I won't even be spending the past 30 days doing this series.  And it's not to preach fitness and wellness, as if I'm some kind of expert.  Far from it, I assure you.  Your struggles are very much the same as mine.  Well, maybe of varying intensities, but same things, more or less.  

So, yes, backsliding is to be expected, and it does happen, not just a couple of times, but maybe for life.  I just hope it's not an everyday thing though.  You're probably saying , what's the point then?  The point IS the purpose you have set before you embark on this journey.  I still think that's one of the crucial things to always go back to when you lose sight of the purpose.

The next big thing then is how to stay motivated.   

Zig Ziglar says: "People often say that motivation doesn't last.  Well, neither does bathing that's why we recommend it daily."

Makes sense, right?  But bathing is probably easier than staying motivated.  Then again, maybe because bathing is already a habit.  Why not make a habit of fitness?  That way, it becomes automatic, something that does not need to be coaxed from us all the time.  

So here's my take on backsliding:

• Accept that it's part of life's realities and don't be too harsh on yourself.
• But don't go softy on yourself either.  Remember...tough, strong minded.
• Snap out of it as soon as you can and get up from where you last fell off the program.
• Find a fitness buddy or an accountability group who can give you a good butt kick.  It's harder to convince others with the excuses that you so easily believe on your own.
• Get a trainer or instructor.  You'd probably even have a harder time convincing them why you should skip training or the scheduled workout.  (I once or twice skipped Tai Chi class because I'm just not feeling like it.  So, next session, I had to catch up, which was even harder than when I should have just come for regular class, not to mention having to explain why I did not show up).
• Surround yourself with inspiration, be it music to pump you up, pictures of buff and strong people, maybe read success stories of athletes or even just ordinary folks like us, etcetera.

Maybe, you could name a few more ways to deal with backsliding.   The key here is simply getting back when we encounter a momentary setback.  And always, always go back to the goals and ultimate purpose.  Those goals did not prevent me from slipping...but those goals helped to keep me on track when I am veering off course.  They gave me something to go back to.

This is Day 30 of Steps to Fit and Strong series.