You Do It or You Don't

So many many many times in challenges I get these excuses:

1. I was traveling
2. I had friends/guests visiting
3. We had family birthday parties
4. Work parties/dinner meetings
5. Weekends are hard
6. Sick kids
7. A hectic work schedule kept me from working out
8. My mother-in-law sent a cake over
9. Neighborhood party/cookout this weekend
10. Sunday Football games and all that food!

Well, guess what, you're either on track or you're not.  When it comes to sticking to your plan, you either do it or you don't.  Pretty simple.  

As I prepped for my weekend away, I said this to myself.  "AA, you're going away on a girls' weekend.  Lots of food, opportunity to indulge in drinks and desserts and very easy to get off track.  I'm either going to do it or not."  I knew that if I got home on Monday and looked back at a weekend of unhealthy choices, I would not be happy with myself.  I knew that if I went in with the mindset to focus on my health and fitness goals, I could come home without regret (or extra lbs)  I did it.  I stuck to my plan.  I ate what I knew would fit into my plan and I didn't for one minute tell myself that I wanted or needed anything different (I didn't need the pasta, or the bagels; I wasn't running a marathon)  

I am the queen of negotiations.  I will negotiate, trade, reason and bargain for just about anything.  I sometimes lay in bed before going to the gym and battle with myself.  More sleep vs. a good workout.  I either get up and workout or I don't.  Many times I've convinced myself that I'll get that workout in later, 90% of the time...I don't.  I know myself.  I need to stick to the plan or I won't stick to it at all. 

Living well doesn't work if you only live well when it feels good or it's convenient.  Birthdays come every year; weekends happen every single week, kids will get sick, mother-in-laws will literally SWEETLY sabatoge the clean eating plan, sports fans will always crave chicken wings and chips and dips.  Life is hectic and it's full of opportunity to fall of the wagon.  We can negotiate, reason, bargain and try and play catch up as much as we can, but bottom line, you're either doing it, or you're not.  When in moderation, yes, it's ok to let loose, but when the excuses become things that are just inevitably going to happen week after week, day after day, it's not longer an excuse, it's just a way of life, and not a healthy one.  

We can come up with a million and three excuses as to why we didn't do it, but my challenge to you is to drop the excuses and just get on the plan!  DO IT!