Disclaimer: not me in this picture!
You know the old expression: “If you fall off the horse, get right back on.” It acknowledges that setbacks are a part of life; what is important is how we respond to those setbacks. Either we can choose to be defeated and give up, or we can get back in the game and give it another shot, realizing that we might fall off yet again.
I often refer to this adage when counseling clients and others about fitness and weight management. I addressed this in one of my most popular blog posts about a year ago. Sometimes we are really good at getting to the gym, eating right, and taking care of ourselves in general. There are other times, though, when it is a real challenge (vacations, holidays, illness, etc.) and we “fall off the horse.”
In that post, I discussed being kind and forgiving to ourselves. There is nothing to be gained by beating up on ourselves. To paraphrase Pumbaa in The Lion King, often the best thing to do is put your past behind you (or put your behind in the past…one of those two!) Do not dwell on the failure, but get back on the horse and make a change that very day.
This has been on my mind a lot as I have been watching the scale slowly creep upward. Last year, I started doing Noom to take off some extra pounds and to prepare for some upcoming surgery. After the surgery, I was quite a bit underweight and struggled for several months to put the pounds back on. I can report that I solved that problem and then some. I am now above the point on the scale that I vowed I would never hit again. I am not obese or unhealthy, but rather want to make sure that I keep healthy habits as I age.
So tomorrow I’m hopping back on that horse. I am still subscribing to Noom. I will continue to track my weight. I will start logging my meals again. I will get back in touch with my coach. I cannot wait to get back in the saddle again!
We all face obstacles in life — at work, at school, in relationships. This is a given in the human experience. The true test is how we respond. Will we simply give up? Or, will we be resilient? The choice is ours. I will keep you posted as I gallop toward back toward healthier habits.
This lightly-edited blog was originally published on kosher-fitness.com on 5/31/22 by Rabbi Ungar. Image provided.
