When you first start living a healthier lifestyle, it\u2019s hard to stay loyal to new eating habits and exercise routines. Face it, you\u2019ll probably feel a little deprived and have STRONG cravings and urges for unhealthy things (at least at first).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise that most people fall off the wagon at least once when they begin changing unhealthy habits.<\/p>\n
Sadly, many people wrongly assume that slipping up means that they lack willpower and should give up on healthy living.<\/p>\n
Nothing could be further from the truth.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t beat yourself up\u2026<\/strong> If you fall off the wagon because you\u2019re stressed or dealing with some other negative emotion, beating yourself up only makes things worse and could lead to a full-blown relapse if you\u2019re not careful.<\/p>\n So treat yourself the way you\u2019d treat someone in a similar situation. Would you criticize a close friend for giving in to his or her cravings? I didn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n You\u2019d be supportive and would encourage them to get back on track! Right? So embrace your humanity and shower yourself with kindness and compassion!<\/p>\n Learn from the experience\u2026<\/strong> An extreme lifestyle change may be appealing but it is less sustainable.<\/p>\n If you suddenly give up ALL your \u201ccomfort\u201d foods and go on a very restrictive diet, your body will hate it (you<\/em>) and revolt!<\/p>\n It\u2019s better to make a few changes and stick with them than to completely modify your lifestyle and keep falling off the wagon. Just start with the basics like less processed foods and sugar, more vegetables, and exercise, and work your way up from there.<\/p>\n Climb back onto the wagon\u2026<\/strong> Try not to think of it as starting over because that only makes things harder. What if it were treated as a learning experience instead?<\/p>\n For instance, just because you had fast food for lunch doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have a healthy dinner. Also, just because you haven\u2019t been to the gym in a week doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t slip on your sneakers and go for a run today.<\/p>\n A weekend binge or one week without exercise doesn\u2019t negate all of the work you\u2019ve done so far. It doesn\u2019t define you either.<\/p>\n Falling off the wagon is only a BIG deal if you make it one. You\u2019ve got this. So don\u2019t let a tiny bump in the road become a roadblock to your personal success.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When you first start living a healthier lifestyle, it\u2019s hard to stay loyal to new eating habits and exercise routines. Face it, you\u2019ll probably feel a little deprived and have STRONG cravings and urges for unhealthy things (at least at first). It\u2019s no surprise that most people fall off the wagon at least once when…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1515,1513],"aware":[1753],"class_list":["post-6224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","tag-dieting","tag-lifestyle-change","aware-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nStop beating yourself up for giving in to your cravings. One slip-up doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re weak or weren\u2019t in line the day God gave out willpower. And it certainly doesn\u2019t mean that you\u2019re a failure or have blown it; those guilty little voices are just your confirmation bias speaking.<\/p>\n
\nYour slip-up could be a sign that your new lifestyle is too restrictive or that you don\u2019t have enough support. To succeed, find the perfect balance between challenge and comfort.<\/p>\n
\nIf you fall, get up, dust yourself off, and keep going!<\/p>\n