For this post I thought I would take a step back from the normal flow of nutrition content and talk about something much more important, something that’s often forgotten about.
As we approach the warm summer months, millions of people around the country are starting to really get serious about their health and nutrition related goals, maybe to lose weight, eat more veggies, or stop drinking soda. That’s awesome. Maybe your’re in a similar situation, and have a plan to get where you want to be. Perhaps it’s hitting the gym Monday Wednesday and Friday for an hour, or tracking your calorie intake. Whatever your plan of action, I’m sure you can agree that it isn’t always easy to stick to. Life gets in the way. If you’re a student, your’re probably approaching finals, have a million and one things to do, and can’t seem to find time to get everything done, let alone prepare yourself well balanced meals throughout the day.
THAT’S OKAY.
While health is a component of life that is absolutely crucial, just like anything else, it is most certainly not good to stress yourself out over it. Don’t put yourself down if you didn’t make it to the gym this week, or you overslept and had a PopTart for breakfast instead of a bowl of oatmeal. Remember that you aren’t failing, you’re just human. No one is taking notes on your diet and exercise and wagging a finger for the whole world to see. Getting sidetracked today doesn’t mean it was useless!
What has really worked for me in relation to all of this, is remembering that I have a life to live. While nutrition and health are incredibly important to me, If it’s Friday night and I want a few pieces of pizza, damnit I’ll have some pizza. Doing so doesn’t make me any less focused on my health, it just makes me flexible. Be cognizant of your health related decisions, but don’t hate yourself for the less than ideal ones. If you’re driving from Columbus to Sacramento, you can still get there if you take a few rest stops on the way.
To sum it up, give yourself some credit. Keep focused on your health related goals, but don’t let them dictate your life, or let them discourage you if some days things just don’t go to plan. After all, I think that if every day consisted of kale, the gym and quinoa we would miss out on a whole lot, like chocolate covered oreos, for example.