So What??

Whew! What a week - sorry about that delay in new posts. I hope you all had fantastic Valentine's Days, if you choose to celebrate. Ours was pretty busy, as we had our usual Wednesday night church activities. I baked some special cookies for the family, and Kaedyn had the usual bash at school. Mandi and I couldn't find a babysitter for last week, so we are having our date night this Thursday. Other than that, it was a pretty standard day. And that's okay with us - Mandi and I typically choose not to celebrate what we have come to affectionately term "Hallmark Day." We believe the card companies and flower folks have taken it too far, to such an extent that they have successfully implanted in our culture's psyche a sense of guilt if we don't spend money on our sweeties on Hallmark Day. It's a little ridiculous, if you ask me. First, I don't need a special annual holiday to express the love I have for my wife, kids, and family. Second, I don't need to spend money I don't have on flowers and cards that will be dead or forgotten in about a week, in order to express my love. Frankly, Mandi is more disgusted when I do go that route. She'd rather I make some time, find a sitter, and spend some quality moments with her. And that is exactly what I have arranged for this week. Now, I certainly don't mean to diminish the significance or importance of the day for those of you who have a special tradition, or for those who see the day in a different light than what I have just expressed. To each their own! All of this said, I didn't really come here to talk about that today. Me and my tangents.
What I thought I would do is continue my discussion on what I believe to be a foundational line of thought in building a successful plan for healthy living. Thus far, I have talked about a decision to change your life when it comes to healthy living. Don't go on a diet, rather, make a lifestyle change. And second, no doing this for anyone else but yourself. Others will certainly appreciate your hard work, and may even benefit. But ultimately, this is all about you!
The third part of the foundation for healthy living is to understand, realize, and accept that you will make mistakes. Period. There's no way around it. You're going to screw up, and you're going to screw up big! There's going to come a day when that big slice of pizza is going to call so loudly and so overwhelmingly, that you won't be able to resist its powers. Or the aroma of fresh-baked cookies just out of the oven is going to summon you back to the dark side, and you will find it useless to resist. Before you know it, the one cookie has turned into just one more, and half a dozen later you're kicking yourself in the ass for having fallen off the wagon. At this point, you're going to begin asking yourself if you can really make a go of your decision to live a healthier life. You'll begin to realize that it's much easier to grab a quick Big Mac than to spend the time preparing a healthy meal. Or that a few handfuls of cheesy puffs are tastier than an apple. Well, I have news for you: it's okay. Yup, I said it. It's okay to think along these lines once in awhile, to have a few cookies or some cheesy puffs or a Big Mac. The key is to get over it and move on! Don't dwell on the mistake you made, and don't concern yourself with it so much that you never get back to the healthy decisions you were once making. Savor the Big Mac, and move on! There is absolutely no sense in worrying about a slip-up now and again, so long as you don't make a frequent habit out of it. Why? Because if you are eating healthy and exercising regularly, you will easily metabolize your screw-up, and your body will barely even notice it. To dwell on your mistakes and feel sorry for yourself is more detrimental to your goals than the mistake itself. I speak from experience, folks.
A quick recap - #1. Frame of mind - change your lifestyle to healthy living. NO DIETS!! #2. Make the healthy living choice for yourself. #3. Accept the fact that you will err, and don't worry about it when you do. Stay tuned for #4! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!!