I will start off by saying I’m not perfect. I have never claimed to be. I often times find myself in situations that I later look back at and say to myself “I could have done better”. If we are ever to improve and get better, in whatever aspect of life, we have to first be honest with ourselves. We have to own up to our downfalls and shortcomings and work at making positive changes in the right direction. For me, my biggest downfall is that I have a sugar addiction. There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by where I’m not tempted to have a chocolate bar or a can of pop. I will admit I stray at times and fall off my wagon and consume sugar and I know that I shouldn’t, I know that I don’t need it, I know the research that shows that sugar is the root of most preventable chronic illnesses. But for one reason or another my mind convinces me it’s okay and I find myself weak and caving to my dark desire.
There are two things for everyone to know regarding my cheating. The first is that I don’t dwell on it. There’s no point on focusing on how I failed. The first step of making positive changes in our lives is to acknowledge that you can’t be perfect and focus on the future. You can’t change what has happened but you can change what will happen. The second thing you need to know regarding my cheating is that every year it seems to get less and less. The main reason why most diets fail is because they are focused on taking things away. Restricting yourself from your favourite food is similar to kicking a drug habit. Comfort foods affect the exact same areas of the brain where addictive drugs affect. It’s a powerful draw and for most people over time they can’t resist that comfort food and fail on their new diet. Instead of restricting we need to focus on adding positive lifestyle changes. If you really want to have those donuts then first have an apple. If you really want a pop then have a glass of water first. Slowly what starts to happen is that the bad habits become less and less. You build new healthier habits. Your body will start to crave the healthy changes.
Be patient and never expect immediate changes. Health and wellness is a journey and not a destination. Enjoy it and switch it up and if you’re like me then don’t be ashamed of being a cheater…… just own up to it.
