How you do anything is how you do everything.
Do you agree with that? To a large extent, I do. That’s based on my approach to challenges. My friend Andrea and I constantly undergo challenges. She’ll either text me or I’ll text her the challenge of the day. It could be related to writing, eating, moving, etc. Stephanie, another awesome friend of mine is the queen of challenges. She forever has a new one up her sleeve and is the actually the one to have gotten me started on my health journey. Then there was the time that my brother and I kicked off the running challenge, using our Nike App.
I love it.
My approach is simple: Don’t give up. If you mess up, keep it moving. Add a day. That’s not to excuse myself or allow myself to mess up in the name of having another day. Every time I go to the fridge, pantry, restaurant, or grocery story, I’m making a choice. Being conscious of the fact that I’m making a decision, empowers me to make the better choice. Instead of debbie cakes, I’ll go for more fruit. Instead of brownies, we’ll do chocolate covered fiber bars.
It works that way regardless of the challenge. I could flop across the bed and declare exhaustion, or I can remind myself that a mile will take ten minutes–top. A measly ten minutes. So I’ll lace up my sneaks and gone get it over with. The last running challenge that my brother started was during the brutal coldness that we all experienced earlier this year. I would dread going out.
Knowing that the weather was only an excuse, I got moving. I would go to the gym and use the treadmill, or at worst, double my miles the following day. Again, the key is not to give up. To acknowledge your excuses and really find a way around them. And finally to realize that there is always a choice to be made and the choice is yours.