During the winter months I hear a common theme among clients: “I’ll be more active during the summer when I can get outside and exercise…” (or something like that). There is no doubt Michigan winters have their downside. I don’t think any of us enjoys being cooped up for 6 months of the year, especially when the weather is as treacherous as 2014. But as it warms up, and we are able to get back outside and increase our activity levels, inevitably other things pick up too — dinners out, BBQs with friends, family vacations, drinks on the patio, etc. Does this sound familiar? Is that extra physical activity really enough to cancel out these “calorie contributing obligations?” If you’re not sure, answer this: “How tight are your pants right now?”
Ok, ok, now that I have you a little self conscious, hopefully you’re emotionally invested in what I have to say. This blog is more observation than anything else. I’m not going to throw science, numbers, graphs or any other data at you. I don’t need science to prove this point, and I truly believe ANY AFS client reading can benefit from getting one thing straight: avoiding poor assessments solves nothing. I try to drill this home every year around the holidays, but this year, more than ever, I’ve had too many people say, “I was on vacation, let me get back on track for a few weeks and then I’ll come in for my assessment.” Or: “I’ve been drinking too much beer this summer, let me cut back for a few weeks and I’ll schedule that assessment.” My response to that is: “Why wait!?”
Scenario #1: Let’s say you’re cooking dinner, and while cutting up veggies, you accidentally cut your thumb. The cut is deep and needs stitches. Do you make it a priority to go to the doctor and get the care you need? Or do you decide to throw a Band-Aid on it and carry on like nothing happened? Do you really want to wait for the infection to set in before you take care of the problem? I didn’t think so.
Scenario #2: You go shopping on a $250 budget for some new clothes. You find some outfits that are too good to pass up and you spend $1,000 instead. This makes you feel guilty, but it is not necessarily detrimental to your overall budget. Regardless, you have to make up for that money somewhere. Do you cut back and budget other things to make up for this cost? Or do you ignore your bank account, continue to spend, and hope nothing bad happens? That’s what I thought: you take steps to balance your accounts so all costs are covered.
This is how I look at diet, exercise and assessments. An insufficient bandage or ignoring your checking account is not going to make these problems go away. When it comes to your fitness goals, neither will skipping your assessment! If you’re going to have a bad assessment, you already know you “cut” yourself or “went over budget” with your spending. It shouldn’t be a surprise. If there is a problem, face the facts! Ignoring them doesn’t help anyone. The truth is, it is very rare for someone to actually “lock it up” after that vacation or holiday. For most people, the trend continues for weeks or months (maybe even longer). Let us help you!
Take Home
If you’ve done poorly on vacation or during the summer months, do not avoid your Fitness Practitioner. You see yourself in the mirror every day; you put on the same clothes; you are controlling what you eat and how much you exercise — no one else. A bad assessment should not be a surprise. Bite the bullet, face the facts, and make a game plan before the situation gets worse. The sooner you get back on track, the better chance you’ll have at long term success. This is no secret and, trust me, we have the numbers to prove it.
Sometimes you just need a little push in the right direction. If you have been avoiding your assessment, who are you really fooling? When it comes to your health, ignorance is not bliss. Consider yourself pushed!