There Will Be Days Like “This”
Have you ever woke up for the day feeling like you already needed a nap?
Or planned and packed your lunch for the day only to leave it at home?
How about when you scheduled to go to a workout class after work and realized at the end of the day that you left your tennis shoes at home?
It happens.
These days WILL be a part of the process – this IS life we are living!
Even once you’ve done all the work to commit to a new way of life – things still happen.
There will be days when you don’t feel good, your energy is zilch, your food plan is forced to change, or your planned workout is just not going to happen.
It’s not IF these days will happen – but when.
And it’s what you choose to do because of these days that counts.
It’s not unusual that every once in a while you will need to readjust your plans – you can make this mean that something has went horribly wrong – or you can choose to see the opportunity to build your reaction muscle.
I have struggled over the years with “going with the flow” and plans changing last minute. And there are times that I STILL want to overreact and make a big deal out of it.
But this IS a choice we have.
And how you choose to show up in these situations will either strengthen your ability to react when life happens again OR reinforce your struggle to adapt.
You can choose to see these days as bumps in the road – they don’t have to mean anything other than plans need to change today. My favorite mantras in these moments are “nothing has went wrong here” and “I can figure this out.”
But IT IS important for your goals to be aware of just how often plans aren’t working out.
If you are finding that you are too tired every day – then it’s a good opportunity to look at your sleep habits and make sure healthy sleep is a priority to you. I know you’ve heard it before, but I cannot stress enough how important sleep is to a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Sleep is when all of that science-y stuff happens that allows your body to heal, regenerate, and thrive. And everyone’s requirements for sleep varies – so it’s important to pay attention to just how often your energy levels are interfering with your plans each day.
If you are finding that you skip your daily lunch and dinner plans more often than not. Then it’s time to get honest with yourself about why you don’t want to follow the menu that you’ve planned for yourself at the beginning of the week. Are you building a menu based around foods that you actually enjoy? Or are you trying to eat chicken and broccoli every day to drop weight as quickly as possible? Be honest with who you are in this moment and how you can address your nutrition plan to help guide you to who you want to be in the future. As my friend Corinne says, we don’t go from big macs to broccoli overnight. Honor where you are now and where you want to be a month from now. Then build a plan that allows you to take those steps one at a time.
And as far as those missed workouts go – stay open to figuring out what works best for you. Be willing to commit the time to trying out morning workouts for a bit, then evenings, maybe even lunch time? Everyone’s schedule and preferences are different. It’s ok that how you choose to workout doesn’t work for other people and vice versa. You are not meant to live someone else’s life. You’ve been assigned a specific task with a specific schedule – work with it instead of against it. Please don’t use your assignment in this world as an excuse for why exercise doesn’t work for you. Commit to figuring it out and staying open to what works best in your current season of life.
So be honest with yourself when it’s really just “one of those days” and when you are allowing those days to turn into weeks, months, and sometimes years of not taking action at all. Of not putting yourself as a priority. Of not being willing to define what healthy means for you.
An “off” day doesn’t have to mean anything other than another growth opportunity!
