BY CHRISTELLE TEMPLE
How many times have you said you’d start something on Monday? How many times did you decide to give up on your diet because you went to a birthday party and had to have that pizza and cake? How many times have you faced a setback, then just thrown up your hands and quit? How many times are you going to give up on your journey because you moved backward instead of forward?
How many times are you going to let yourself down?
This is a message for all the do-gooders, the hard workers and the people trying to make a change. Setbacks happen. A bad day or even a bad week does not mean you have to give up or go back to square one. Pushing through is what builds progress and makes us stronger physically and mentally. It’s OK to allow yourself to relax or indulge, but it’s not OK to completely give up because of it.
For me, weekends are hard. During the week, I try to stay in the gym, eat right, drink my water and do all the right things. But when the weekends come, I want to lie in my bed for 48 hours, binge-watch reality TV and eat my bodyweight in McDonald’s.
It’s hard, because those two days will leave me feeling like everything, I worked for has been thrown away — so when Monday comes around and I’m not feeling good I don’t want to go to the gym because I may feel bloated, lazy, or even ashamed.
But what keeps me going is seeing this girl in the mirror who actively tries to live a healthy lifestyle, a young woman who tries to balance school, a job, a relationship, and living a state away from my family.
I want you all to know that it isn’t about attaining a certain image or copying all the influencers online. A healthy lifestyle is for you to feel good and provide your body with nutrients and exercise to function better. Fitness and wellness aren’t defined by one thing, it is defined by your effort. The only one who knows how much effort you are putting in is you.
Even if you took a week or two off, even if you ate out three nights in a row or can’t remember the last vegetable you ate — keep pushing. Don’t give up on yourself. Go for a walk, throw in a can of green beans at dinner.
But remember that setbacks aren’t failures — they are steps in your progression that make your journey yours.
Christelle Temple is a WVU honors sophomore. She contributes a weekly column on health, fitness and motivation. Follow her on Instagram @ellesbells2. Contact her at Newsroom@DominionPost.com.
