“I’ll be back.” No, you won’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from almost ten years of personal training, and extensive viewing of horror movies, it’s that anyone who says they’ll be coming back, won’t be. Maybe you had the best intentions, and you did genuinely believe you were going to come back, or maybe you knew you wouldn’t, and it’s just an excuse you use. Either way, your mind is made up.
We’re not all high-level athletes, we don’t all have that elite mentality, whereby you can make changes and adapt at the drop of a hat, and we don’t all have a team to keep us on the right track either. We’re creatures of habit, most of us like our routine, and unfortunately for most of us, diet and exercise has never been a part of that, certainly not an important part. So, when you’ve added it to your routine, it’s an effort to keep it there. And as soon as you make that conscious decision to take a break from your diet, or cancel personal training sessions, or head home from work instead of going to the gym, that’s the moment you’re done. You’ll revert to an easier routine, one that you probably enjoy more, because diet and exercise will no longer be a part of it.
Maybe I’m being a bit unfair, and you will or do come back, eventually. Years later. After the damage is done, and you have so much more to fix. It doesn’t take long. Many of us has had to take a break from diet or exercise, whether that was your choice, or you were injured, but you quickly find out how much of an effect this little break has. How much your strength drops, how much worse your cardio becomes, how much weight you put on. All in a short space of time. You have to bear that in mind the next time you even consider “taking a break” from your diet or workouts. That even if you will be back, what’s going to happen in the meantime? Is time off really necessary, is it really worth it? Because for most of us, that little break ends up becoming a gap year, or much much longer, and then where will you be starting from?
“I’ll be back” only really works if you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger, but for the average mortal, they’re famous last words. Understand that the moment you give in to that voice in the back of your head, saying “Just this once,” that’s it, it’s very hard to come back from that mindset. So, whatever you’re going to do with your diet and exercise, make sure it’s something you’re comfortable with, and happy to commit to, ideally something flexible. And make sure you understand, that a good diet and exercise are for life, not just for summer. I’ll be back next week, hopefully.
Dan Miller
Body Fuel Personal Fitness Trainer