Warm weather, bbq’s, trips to the beach, vacations at the lake; summer is really filled with all things good. And all that hard work you’ve been devoting to making sure your physique is in tip-top shape has finally paid off as you’re not cringing when you put on your bathing suit. In fact, you’re quite impressed!
Good for you! Now don’t screw it up.
Like I said, summer is not for slacking! Just because you fit into your suit now doesn’t mean that come Labor Day weekend it’ll still be a hunky-dory relationship you have with that suit. There are plenty of weekends from now until then and right smack in the middle is a big day of big fireworks, big burgers and big slices of key lime pies. If you’re planning a fireworks show on your fourth of July celebration, you may look for registered firework stores to ensure you’ll get good-quality products.
Shutting up that little voice in your head that says it’s ok to finally indulge, that all that hard work finally deserves a big payday, is an evil little voice that can get you into a world of trouble (and out of that bathing suit faster than you can say “I’ll have another!”)
I fall victim to that same little voice so I understand where you’re going to be (or where you already have been since the summer officially kicked off last weekend). Dipping a Toastito into something described to me as spicy cream cheese with a crunchy top is a no brainer, it’s going to happen and it will probably happen more than once in a matter of five minutes. Offer me a glass of fruity white sangria on a super hot day and I’ll trump that by having three. My little voice has no filter and it has no limits apparently; it gets me into a world of trouble. So what’s my first though so as to counteract that little evil voice? I boldly declare, in my head, that I’m not eating anything processed for the next two weeks, no more chocolate and no more refreshing alcoholic beverages. I’m going cold turkey and I know that in two weeks time I’ll be feeling super again and that little muffin top will have disappeared, yet again.
Then I come to my senses. I remind myself that I’m not an all or nothing person. Depriving myself only serves to make me really moody and whiny. And it never lasts. In my world of make believe, two weeks is doable. In my world of reality however, one day is all I can manage. Inevitably there is that iced mocha that makes its way into my system. Or I’ll stop in the french bakery for a macaroon. Or I’ll slab a little mayo on that turkey sandwich, and sure add some cheese to that too. It’s like I deliberately, without my knowledge, make sure that I don’t deprive myself but instead treat myself over and over.
So, if you’re like me and you’re thinking about slacking off, which then slingshots you right into derivation mode, it’s time to stop the insanity. And don’t worry, this isn’t the part where I say, “Moderation is key”. It isn’t. Your body is different from mine and what works for me isn’t necessarily going to work for you and vice versa. What I am going to say however is, and I’ve worked with enough women to know that this is pretty universal, that no matter how bad it gets, no matter how badly you’ve cheated, or how badly you’ve slacked and over-indulged, getting back on that wagon and “treating” yourself to an awesome sweat session (aka, intense workout) WILL make you feel better. It WILL motivate you and it WILL turn the tide. Good behavior begets good behavior (just like bad behavior begets more bad behavior.)
Stay the course and you will not fall victim to that evil little voice. If you start your day off right (eating unsweetened oatmeal with berries for example), I guarantee your lunch will be healthy as well as your dinner. BUT… start off with a bacon, egg and cheese on a fatty bagel and I guarantee your lunch might be a chicken cutlet with mayo and cheese followed up by pepperoni pizza and a beer for dinner.
Set yourself up for success and your summer will be full of more good choices than bad choices. And quit with the slacking. You know when you’re doing it, so stop it in its tracks and remind yourself that if you stick with it, you’ll be taking that fine physique of your’s right into the holiday season! (I KNOW!!! How can I be mentioning the holidays when summer only just arrived?! BTW, only 208 days until Christmas ;))
