Health Synergy with Irina

Day 29, 336 days left to go on a plant based lifestyle.

I must confess , I fell of the wagon and I deviated from my plant based Whole Foods plan. This is nothing new, in the last two years I did this a lot. The issue back then was not that I fell off but that I never got back on, and instead I set camp wherever I landed. Last week was particularly challenging, I felt tired from waking up at boot camp hours and from back to back workouts. To make maters more interesting I managed to hit a deer on my way to the gym at 4:30 am… whatever shred of motivation I had in me,  shriked and ran for cover. This resulted in a five day break from the gym.

I didn’t exactly excel in the “healthy eating” department either. I was hit by the perfect storm of my upcoming birthday week and girls weekend getaway to San Francisco. The truth is no path to health is simple…it is a struggle and life doesn’t hand you the perfect circumstance so you can take care of yourself….you just have to have a plan A, B, C and if you are in a real pickle a plan D comes in handy. So here is my advice for handling setbacks:

1. Do not apologize, or feel guilty about it. If you are gonna have that cheeseburger (in my case lobster)..do not add guilt on top of those calories, just enjoy it!

2. Make sure you clean your pantry and refrigerator of all your foodie transgressions:). No matter how strong willed you are it is best not to challenge that when you are getting back on track.

3. Join a “get fit” challenge or make up your own.  I prefer this to be a more hands on challenge at a gym or training sessions with your best friend. I signed up for Orange Theory Fitness Transformation Challenge because I needed the peer pressure. Another fun way to stay fit is to make a promise to your kid or dog (or both) to go for walks/runs/play time.

 4. Do a 3 day cleanse, preferably starting on a weekend. There are a few to choose from but a green juice or green smoothie cleanse works best for me. Over the years I’ve tested many recipes and I came up with a few of my own. I will have a detailed plan coming soon, if you need a starting point.

5. Set reminders at home and work of what motivates you to get healthy. A sticky note with a favorite quote, the picture of a loved one, a positive affirmation..find what works for you.

Perhaps the best skill in life is the ability not to give up…that is when you reinvent, rebuild and recharge yourself. Keep going, you got this!