Overindulge!

We all fight the ups and downs of overindulgences and even with the best intentions our plans can get sabotaged because, well, life gets in the way. And that's okay. That's part of this crazy game of life!

Here's a really helpful article on overcoming the negative stigmas that come with overindulgences. We all have them and its a part of life that we can work towards accepting with a healthy attitude.

I've selected a few parts that really stood out to me:

• Accept — perhaps even embrace — periods of “back”, “down”, and “nothing”.
• Play the long game.
• If your general direction is “forward” and “up”, and you are, overall, working on “something”, then maybe cycling is part of the process.

• • Maybe cycling actively, significantly helps you.
  • By this definition, a “healthy indulgence” (one that we are fully present for and makes us more alive) is one that is somehow:

• meaningful
• truly enjoyable
• self-fulfilling
• life-affirming

Non-food examples of healthy indulgences include: playing hooky from work to go hiking with your kids, or see that great movie/big game you’ve been dying to see, or get a decadent massage and soak happily in a hot tub.

While you might fear that one indulgence will lead to a lifetime of chaos and lack of self-control, research shows that we adapt to pleasure in such a way that — assuming we have at least some interest in our own health and fitness, and perhaps the support of a team or coach — we naturally self-correct.

Don't worry about comparing yourself to others- we tend to look at others and think they are perfect and never indulge like we do. As a personal trainer I'll tell you that I indulge all the time. Balance is what its all about. Taking in some healthy or non healthy indulgences makes me that much more excited and thankful for my usual killer workouts and clean meals.

Partaking in a healthy indulgence can be a great fall-back when things are getting overly busy and stressful. Give it a try!

* In home workout tip from the personal trainer- cardio can be tough at home by yourself. If you don't have a personal trainer or buddy, make sure you have a plan and a really fun playlist before the workout. Write it out and check every thing off as you go. Try to have each move last for one a few seconds or a minute tops. Then cycle back through everything as many times as you can!