Two Steps Forward

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  As we come out of our "turkey coma" here in the States, and most likely regret the amount of pie and desserts we consumed on Thanksgiving, there can be a tendency to become discouraged about reaching your fitness goals due to a sense of failure from consuming too many calories.  Many people in the Northern hemisphere should appreciate that the "holiday season", where many tend to over indulge as part of many feasts and celebrations, occurs during our winter when we can hide the extra calories under many layers of clothes....those of you in the Southern hemisphere probably stress about the extra holiday calories a bit more being that it is your summer.  But in either case, I hope that all of you do enjoy the holidays and do so with an abundance of joy rather than with stress and / or regret.  I want you to understand that it is "o.k." to celebrate, and that all of the hard work you put in all year hasn't gone to waste.  In fact, if there is any point in the year where you have "fallen off" of your fitness goals, or have a "cheat day" here and there know that you can overcome it and you should not let it derail you from ultimately reaching your fitness goals...that is as along as you realize it is only a minor set back and get back to it.  This is because as long as you continue to progress, any way you look at it, two steps forward and one step back is still movement in the right direction!

          This time of year can be particularly harrowing for those who are trying to improve their body composition when they are faced with many potential, nutritional road blocks that come from holiday parties and gatherings.  In situations that are supposed to be celebrated with joy there can be a tendency to have stress and regrets.  Unfortunately, many people disregard what they need to do in order to achieve their fitness goals early on in the holiday season, essentially giving up for at least a month or two until the holidays are over.  They rather take a hiatus from doing what they need to reach their goals so that they can enjoy the holidays relatively guilt free.  After taking a step back, by consuming too many calories early into the holiday season, many people will throw in the towel.  To avoid this failure, understand that the step back can be countered by two steps forward.  Even though you might thoroughly enjoy yourself at a party during the weekend, you have plenty of days left in the week to get the momentum going back in the direction of your goals.  Waiting until the New Year could be your start, but it will be much easier to reach your goals if for every "step back" you take you counter it with steps in the right direction by still continuing as soon as you can with your workouts.

          The holidays are only a small portion of the year, and set backs can occur at anytime.  Injuries for example, are a common step back that people often go through.  While an injury could be particularly devastating to a professional and / or competitive athlete, how they recover (pun intended) from the injury is usually a true testament to their mettle.  While injuries do keep you from performing as well as you may want, they often provide the rest and recovery that allows for increased performance following the injury.  Suffering an injury is certainly a step back, but the time spent resting and / or rehabbing allows your muscles to repair and strengthen.  There is a great potential to perform better following the injury, even at times as a result of it!

          Do not let a short-term set back keep your from achieving your long-term goals.  Trust me when I tell you that the emotional toll is far worse than the physical toll when facing a bump in the road to your goals from things like overindulging during the holidays, or when faced with an injury.  The guilt and disappointment you may feel is far worse than the actual physical detriment your body has to contend with.  As long as you keep the perspective that the step you take back can be overcome by the same hard work you have put in all year, you will be heading in the right direction sooner than your realize.  Even a rather negative event, such as an injury, can allow for positive growth in that you have the opportunity to recover to an even healthier state than you were before.  And joyous occasions should be celebrated rather than met with stress and guilt.  Just realize that although speed bumps are things that we encounter to slow us down, they are only a small part of the road that we quickly put into our rear views.  Continuing to move towards our goals after a small set back is the progressive way to reach a fit new you!