My
cheat days were excuses to binge and basically go off the reservation. But recently
while reflecting on my healthy lifestyle (some call lifelong diet) and stumbles
along the way, I could see a common thread appear (one of several, I assure
you)…CHEAT DAYS.
This
may not be everyone’s reality, but it is mine – so please think of this from
that perspective as you read. Anyway, I realized that I invariably had
difficulty bouncing back after cheating for one day – be it my work out,
healthy eating, intentional eating…whatever, I kind of lost my mojo. And restarting
was almost like jumpstarting a faulty car – difficult.
It’s
my personal belief that when you engage in repetitive behavior, the action gets
easier as you continue doing it. Yes? You move into what motivational speakers
like Tony Robbins would refer to as ‘state’ or in my terms ‘the zone’! Does it
make sense now how jumping back to ‘form’ after a cheat day(s) was so difficult
and played a tune on my mind and body? I have come to believe that my ‘cheat
days’ prevented me from getting to my ‘zone’ where waking up to work out is
easier, upping my pace is not such an ordeal, where saying no to mega carbs or
processed sugars isn’t an uphill task.
Don’t
believe me? A wee question…how many of us took a little ‘holiday’ (aka cheat
period) over Christmas and the New Year and found that bouncing back to their work
out regimen was a nightmare? Or Returning to the healthy meal plan was almost
like starting from scratch. Or the biggie: how many of us actually put on
weight when we took our wee holiday?
I
won’t put all of the blame on cheat days, but I know in my heart (chuckle) that
they have played a role in my fumbles in the past. So, over the last month, I have
had NO CHEAT DAYS WHATSOEVER! Yes you heard me! Where previously I would work
out on alternate days, I now work out every day (except Sundays). Let me never say never... I plan for, and make every effort to workout everyday save Sunday. And those cheat days when I
would stray and eat my ‘off limits’ foods some days of the week, I now follow
my healthy eating plan everyday (including Sundays). But let’s balance this: remember I created a system to guide my eating? I shared it with you in ‘Before
I eat’ – so I pretty much stick to this.
So
this ban on cheat days stays unless I find reason to change my opinion!
What
do you think about cheat days? Do they help you? Or have you found The Formula
for cheat days that actually works? Pray do share…
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