Running a health and wellness website like this one has its unique challenges. We want to post as many articles as we can to keep you motivated and on the path to wellness, but in the process, we don’t want to paint an unrealistic picture of our lives. We are busy mothers, and sometimes, that means skipping a workout to care for a sick child or ordering a pizza on a particularly busy night. Our diets aren’t perfect, our exercise schedules aren’t perfect, and our willpower isn’t perfect. Our goal is to inspire you and to encourage you, NOT to overwhelm you and make you believe that we live perfect lives that you should try to emulate.
Yes, we want you to join us in our daily quest for wellness, but when life gets in the way, and it will, we want you to know that it’s okay. You are normal. You can recover. Don’t throw in the towel. Just acknowledge that life isn’t perfect, and get right back on track the next day. “Healthy” does not mean perfect.
We are ALL human, and falling off the wagon is just part of life. Yes, it would be wonderful if all of our meals were organic, all of our snacks were unprocessed, and all of our cravings were for cauliflower rather than cake. The fact of the matter is, life just doesn’t work that way, and we all slip up.
Everyone has an “off” day. You know the kind of day that I’m talking about. You bolt out of bed and race through your morning routine after realizing that you slept through your alarm. No time for a healthy, home-cooked breakfast. No time for a morning workout either. You start your day with a cup of coffee and large muffin that you buy at the convenience store on your way to work. You end up feeling annoyed and defeated because you ate the muffin and skipped your workout. You decide that you’ve ruined your clean eating plan for the day anyway, so you say yes to the piece of cake being offered at work. You then choose the sweetened chai tea latte instead of the chamomile tea during your break. You eat multiple pieces of bread out of the breadbasket at dinner, order Fettuccine Alfredo instead of grilled fish, and finish off your meal with ice cream for dessert. At this point, you are defeated and disappointed and the self-loathing begins. Maybe you’ll even head home to binge on cookies and chocolate later.
Why will the hypothetical scenario described above resonate with so many readers? It will resonate because it is truly that common. You are not alone. Whether you fall off the wagon for a few hours or a few days, there is no need to feel defeated and angry. Remember that you are in this for the long haul. What you do over the course of a few hours or a few days or a few weeks has no significance in the long run. What matters is the trajectory of your life over months and years. Long-term habits matter, not short-term slip ups. Allow yourself to have an “off” day from time to time. It cannot break you if you maintain a long-term perspective. Forgive yourself for not being perfect, and move on.