My Common Struggles....
1. Evening Snacks: this has always been one of my biggest obstacles - and I'm sure many people can relate. If I don't keep myself busy with work or housework, my brain instantly thinks I'm hungry. And who wants to grab a healthy snack when you're relaxing and closing out the day? And even if I do pick a healthy snack - sometimes I grab too big of a portion size. I work so hard throughout the day to stick to my meal plan and then sometimes things can get totally undone by a few bad decisions at night.
How I try to overcome: Very often I like to set personal goals that I'm not going to eat past 7pm. If I write it down in my notebook and am able to check it off when completed - I feel so much more gratification. I find that when I write down all of my goals for the day or week - just being able to visualize them and see them in black and white on paper, it helps me to stick to my plan better. I feel like I used to make goals for myself and then I would forget or totally dismiss them. But if they are in front of me where I can see them all throughout the day - I'm less likely to fail.
2. Getting Out of Routine: I'm such a creature of habit and it's a blessing and a curse. I work out early every morning. If for some reason I'm way too tired to get up - I feel like my whole day is off. It's SO much harder for me to get the motivation to work out later in the day and especially at night. Excuses seem to come a lot easier as the day progresses. If we are gone for a few days or have family stay - I feel out of my element and feel like my structure is broken.
How I try to overcome it: I try to be as realistic with myself as I can. If I don't get a chance to work out in the morning, I try really hard to get it done during the girls nap time...for a few reasons. I want to have that boost of energy to play with them the rest of the day, and I know I'll feel LESS like working out after they go to bed. If we are gone or have family over - I try as best I can to stick to my clean eating and sometimes I'll allow myself a treat and call it my cheat meal for the week. And you know what - sometimes I might fall off track for a whole day - and make really bad decisions, be too tired to work out, decide to have that ice cream cone. But IT'S OK! I'm not living my life to be super restrictive, I'm trying to live a healthy lifestyle. If I can do that 80% of the time, I consider that a huge success.
I am very happy when I think of the past struggles that were so difficult that I feel no longer are tough for me. For instance, I never thought I could give up my one can of diet coke per day. I told myself "it's only one!". But I haven't had a sip of diet coke in over a month and a half and I no longer think about it. It used to be a real struggle for me to be able to get up really early because I've always been a night owl - but I've completely changed those habits and couldn't be happier with how that change has made a difference in my life. The days when I'm up the earliest and get my workouts in are the best days for me.
***The biggest thing I've learned throughout my journey so far is: no matter how bad a day might be, all of my hard work and dedication is STILL there. I will not quit. I am not a failure, and tomorrow is a NEW day.
Being positive is the most crucial part of my success. If I can look at my struggles and obstacles in a positive light, and in a way to better myself - I know that I will only continue to grow as a person.
