‘slow and steady, slow and steady’

I found this from this blog I’ve been reading, but I’ll pretend the letter’s addressed to me as well:

Though I don’t consider my lifestyle a diet, I live the way I do because I know that “health” is a never-ending journey. There will be NO point at which I stop striving for health. So I figure, since I’m relatively young, why not learn how to eat in moderation NOW? Why not learn to love exercise and CRAVE it NOW? Why not learn to indulge in healthy ways NOW? That way, when I’m 30, 40, 50, 60, etc., all of that won’t feel anything but completely normal.

The trick is to PLAN for indulgence. PLAN for screw ups. PLAN for lazy days when you don’t feel like working out. If they’re part of the plan from the beginning, you won’t ever feel like you’ve messed up and want to throw in the towel. Because indulgence? Screw ups? Lazy days? Those will never go away. They’re part of life. The key is to figure out how to deal with them in a healthy way. Example: Too lazy to do your scheduled run? Go for a leisurely walk! Craving a piece of a coworker’s surprise birthday cake? Have a piece, but just one.

I used to be a very all or nothing type of girl. If I ate poorly, I was going to do it all day/week/month. Now, I know it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I can have the cookie. I can skip the workout. I can have one drink. I don’t consider myself a failure, I just figure that I’m handling life and preparing myself for forever. I live by the saying, “Don’t do anything on a ‘diet’ you aren’t prepared to do for the rest of your life.” Slow and steady is the way to go… you’ll be able to live this way forever! You’d never be able to work out every day and only eat 1,200 calories forever.

I hope all of that made sense. Your mantra right now should be slow and steady, slow and steady, slow and steady.