The true sign of commitment to yourself isn't going at it full-on 100% of the time. How exhausting?!?!Commitment is getting right back to it, making thoughtful choices everyday. Making a healthy breakfast after a night out on the town. Hitting the gym the Monday after a holiday. 

 

How do you stick to you healthy plans??

I recommend the 80%/20% principle. It gives you a little wiggle room and does a whole lot of good for your body and your mind.

Example: Make all your main meals full of veggies with lean protein and have a glass of wine with a square of dark chocolate in the evening.

Example: Hit the gym or workout 5 days a week and take 2 days off to tend the garden, stay home and read or visit a friend. 

I was thinking today this idea of commitment, to my own fitness and training, almost always ON and rarely OFF  (80/20) can be overlaid to look at longer chunks of time, not just days and weeks, but months, seasons and even years. 

On Halloween I'll be in South Africa traveling for two weeks with my mother. We have all sorts of adventures planned, safari, lagoon cruise, dinner with a local family, even an ostrich ride! The trip of a lifetime. 

My mom already made me swear I wouldn't try and go running. "A lion could eat you!" And there won't much gym access or fancy workout rooms. 

Two weeks OFF. That could really freak me out. What will happen?!?! But, when I look at the big picture this break in my routine fits perfectly into my plans. Mwah ha ha!! 

Research will even tell you the body doesn't make strength gains while lifting weights, it's the recovery process that produces results. 

Time off from regular gym time, routine meals and everyday stress can create a drop in Cortisol (The bodies "hold on to fat" hormone). This drop lets the body naturally become leaner and release its hold on internal stress and toxins. 

Coming back to training after a planned break can create new gains as well! It won't take much to get right back to lifting the same amount of weight. (Muscle loss usually happens after a break of 3 weeks and longer) But by ramping up slowly and lightly you will see your body change more quickly than before - and that feels great! 

A little break could be just what you need if you have been training and working out regularly for months or years to bust through a dreaded plateau. 

Just get back to it. 

If you've been OFF for longer, like all summer, don't despair! Just get back to it. Slowly and easily (I promise) you'll find your body back in fight shape. Maybe even better. 

Let me know if you need help. I happen to know some people who are experts in starting, re-starting and sticking to health and fitness routines. 

Most importantly...

Listen to you body. Go hard when you can - rest when you need it. 

Know where you want to go. 

Stick to it. 

You'll get there.  

See you in a couple weeks! 

Look for blog posts and facebook updates from Africa whenever I can connect to the world wide web:-)