You know now more than ever that trying to remain healthy isn’t a walk in the park. But you know what’s even harder? Getting back on track again after you’ve fallen off. There's nothing worse than working super hard to reach your optimum health goal only to fall short of mark, reach your goal but then fail to maintain it, or not even make it to your goal before letting it go.
But I’m here to let you know that you can indeed get back on board, it’s not too late for you.
And falling off track is nothing to be ashamed of.
No matter where you are on your journey to a healthier you, you're just where you should be—even if that means you are still at the beginning. Starting up again after losing sight of your goal is an incredibly hard thing. Trust me, I understand. Getting back into the swing of going to the gym after taking a few months off makes you feel ashamed to even show your face there. And changing your eating habits all over again is even harder than the first time you did it. It may be difficult now because you worked so hard before you let it go, but this is okay. Because if you’re as strong as I bet you are, I know that a minor setback won’t keep you from reaching your goal in the end.
As someone who is also working towards a rather far-away health goal, I want to say that falling off the health bandwagon isn’t the worst thing in the world, so long as you work to get back on.
Last June, I finally put my foot down and had enough of hating the body I was living in. I had let my insecurities run my life for far too long, and I was ready to make the change I wanted to see in myself. Before I had reached this point, I wished I’d magically become thin and reach my goal overnight, without wanting to actually work for it. But I didn’t realize how rewarding the whole journey would be once I started, though. And nothing in life comes without working hard for it!
Come September, I got super busy with school and work, and before I knew it, I didn’t workout or eat healthy anymore. And I know I’m not alone when I say stopping after trying your best to keep your progress going makes you feel like a failure. Whether you've stopped for one week or one year, any amount of time you spend putting distance between you and your goal makes you feel like you've been unsuccessful since the start. For the following few months after September (until January 16th, to be exact), I felt insecure all over again because I had slipped into my former ways. And starting again is one of the hardest things to do.
Am I proud of the four months I let myself fall back into my bad habits of eating unhealthy and sitting like a couch potato? Not particularly, but I realize that it was a necessary step in my journey so that I could be where I am right now.
I’m here to say falling off track doesn’t mean it’s the end for you, or that you’re a failure. The only thing this means is that you need to prove to yourself just how strong you are: stand up again, and keep going.
No matter where you are in your progress, you must remember to always be proud of every little accomplishment you make. You mustn’t discredit the small stuff! Perhaps you’ve made a change by drinking water with lunch instead of soda, and you’ve done so for over a month now. Or maybe you’ve started taking the stairs instead of the elevator when you go out. How about the fact that you’ve just upped your time on the treadmill from thirty to thirty-five minutes? These seemingly small changes are huge. You should always feel proud of them because these little things will add up and help you get back on track for good, and also help you reach your goal in the end.
And don't compare yourself to others! Everyone's at a different point on their health journey, so it's important for you to just focus on going at your own pace. I know when you start up again, you'll even compare your current-self to you former, healthier one and think: "I need to go as fast as I did on the treadmill last time!" But no, this is not the answer. If you aren't up to the speed you were before you stopped, or you're self-conscious that the dude next to you is running a solid 6.5mph and you're strugglin' at 3.5, this is totally okay. Listen to your body, and don't feel hard on yourself for not being ready to reach the level you think you should be at.
If you’re someone who once took your health seriously but you’ve lost your way, this doesn't mean there is no hope for you. I promise you’ll get back into the swing of it if you just try. I understand how frustrating it is when you don't see the results you want in a timely fashion, and I get why you felt compelled to give it up in the first place. But being healthy takes a lot of time—time you must be willing to put forth to see your results reappear.
And they will reappear, because even though your health may feel like a long journey filled with endless ups and downs, you know just as well as I do that you’ll get to your final destination in your own time.
