What To Do When Your Fitness Regime Gets Skunked
April 30, 2010
Anyone who’s been fat, then been thin, will agree. Thin feels better. It’s true for a lot of things. Anyone who’s been rich, then been poor will concur that rich feels better. And do I even need to mention that anyone who’s been sick, then healthy, knows that healthy feels better. And as of this past Monday at 10:34pm, not only does my dog know that NOT being skunked smells better than being skunked, but I know this, as well as my husband, my kids, my next door neighbors as well as my inner nostrils and also anyone who encountered any of us on Tuesday morning.But you know, things happen. We find ourselves on a given weekday evening, yawning and slightly bored and start thinking of getting up and going on up to bed so we open the back door to let the dog out…and two minutes later. SKUNKED.
I don’t want to imply that it was a disaster. But it was definitely a SITUATION. Just like those folks who found themselves stranded on another continent a few weeks ago because of (who’d ever believe this if we all hadn’t read it ourselves) an Icelandic volcano eruption. As Forrest Gump said,”Shit happens” and whether we feel like it or not, we have to deal with it.
Our fitness regime can occasionally get skunked. You catch a cold one week and have to limit your workouts and next week, you are up 3 pounds. You tweak your knee and can’t workout, same deal. The point that I like to make when I talk to a Skunkee is that your REACTION is the most important part when life throws you a stinkball. Whatever it is that occurs, the best thing you can do is put one foot in front of the other and get back at it (whether you have 4 gallons of tomato juice in the house or not and let me tell you, the one thing I can guarantee is that the one time you DO need 4 gallons of tomato juice, you will NOT have it in the kitchen. And the stores will be closed.) The most damaging thing you can do after whatever calamity strikes you is INACTION.
Making dietary changes is hard- especially if you’ve had a setback.It’s really hard for the first three weeks. It takes at least 21 days to form some new neural pathways in your brain that control behavior and habits. I’m guessing it will take 21 days before Stinky, formerly known as Winston, will revert to smelling like a plain old dog. How I miss the smell of his Frito feet! But how long would he (and us and our house) smell if we did nothing? And how many friends would we retain? And what’s 21 days compared to 21 years of bad habits? So. You can do it. First thing Monday is weigh in time. I want you to get on the scale every morning for the next three weeks. There WILL be 3-5 pound daily fluctuations but the idea is to get a barometer of where you are now. As far as eating I want you to follow Dr. Oz’s Rule of 5:
- If it has grain – it’s 100% whole grain
- No transfats
- Less than 4g of Added Sugar per serving
- Less than 4g of Saturated Fat per serving
- No syrup (maple, barley malt, corn, hfcs)
Look at all labels and use these guidelines. No eating three hours prior to bedtime. Eliminate alcohol or limit it to 1 or 2 drinks per week. Many women spit in my face when I suggest the no alcohol rule but come on now, it’s three measly weeks. I guarantee that if you have a glass or two or seven each evening, that if you can break this habit you will loose about ten pounds in 21 days, even if you make no other changes. Come on! Do it! You are stronger and less alcoholic than you think!
Lastly, here’s your homework. I want you to start noticing how many moments you waste during the day mentally skunking yourself. If it’s a considerable amount of time, I really want you to use Monday as your starting point for a program to being more like who you want to be. And to becoming who your dog already thinks you are. And one more thing to inspire you as you get yourself deskunked:
Here’s a dog-inspirational video just to prove that dogs really are smart in a crazy kind of way (just not in the Dog vs. Skunk way) Buddy’s owner is handicapped and when his work shed caught on fire he sent Buddy to get help. The Alaskan State Trooper’s GPS was frozen and he was lost. The only way he found the fire was by following this angel of a dog. Now go hug your dog and see you on the scales Monday morning.
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