One of the hardest things for me in balancing my life is committing to and sticking with exercising and eating better. I’ve made a vow to myself to clean up my eating and to get regular physical exercise, and most of the time, I do pretty well at both. But it’s so easy to get up in the morning and say “Oh, I know I’m supposed to work out today, but I’ve got tons to do at work, so I really just need to get to it.” or “I’m in such a hurry this morning that I just don’t have time to eat a healthy breakfast- I’ll just skip it or grab a McGriddle on my way to work.” Of course, sometimes life will intervene and you really do need to adjust your day, but when you do, be conscious that ever decision has consequences. For example, if you don’t eat breakfast, you’re likely to be way hungrier at lunch and may make even worse food choices than a McGriddle (it is possible to do that ). Similarly, if you choose not to exercise, your energy level may be lower through the day and you may find yourself with a shorter temper.
 

It’s true that if making these exceptions truly is exceptional, then it’s no big deal. However, any time we do something and do it more than once, it has the potential to become a habit, good or bad. Maybe this has only happened to me, but if I get that McGriddle on the way to work, at lunch, I figure “Oh well, I’ve already blown it for today, so I’ll go ahead and have those onion rings at lunch.” Suddenly, an exception has become 2, and so the slippery slope forms.
 

How do you keep this from happening? Of course it will once in a while, but keeping your goals in mind, whether fitness or not, is really essential. Even if you skip working out, for example, decide that you’ll take a walk at lunch or take the stairs all day at work to inject a little physical activity back into your day. Likewise, if you eat junk for breakfast, recommit to eating clean for lunch, and hold yourself to it. The point is not to let a slip or misstep slide into the territory of moving from a simple exception to a habit, but to bring yourself back to what you said you were going to do for yourself.
 

This is, of course, easier said than done, so it may be worthwhile to see if you can find little tricks to help you stay focused on your goals, and hopefully, shy away from making that first exception on most occasions. I was having a particularly hard time sticking to eating clean, and found myself frequently making exceptions to my plan of eating unprocessed, healthy foods as a matter of course.
 

 
I needed some help remembering my commitment when the time came to make a food choice and to be mindful enough of that commitment all day to stick to my guns. To help me do this, I made a bracelet for myself that I wear every day that helps me track portions of the clean foods I want to eat (carbs, proteins, fruits, and veggies) and serves as a powerful reminder that I want to eat clean. I wear it on my wrist and when I look at a menu or reach for food or drink, I see the bracelet and it reminds me to think before I eat. This has been so helpful to me that I shared it with my friends and have made this bracelet available for sale. Check it out if eating clean is a goal for you and you’d like some affordable support in developing the habit of clean eating: http://CleanEatingBracelet.com.
 

Whether it’s clean eating, exercising, or some other goal you have, take the time to stop and think about the consequences, even if they’re small, of that choice. When you make a choice that deviates from your plans, don’t beat yourself up, but get back on track. Remember that the goals you’ve set are for yourself, and honor yourself by meeting them!
 

So I just came back from a vacation. Not one of those taking-work-with-me-call- me-if-you-need-me-here’s-my-cell-phone –number-and-I’m checking-my-email “vacations”, but a real, totally unplugged, relaxing, no work at all vacation.

Wow- it was GREAT.

And you know what? The office did not fall apart and the world did not come to an end as a result of me being out of the office and totally dark for 6 days! As a matter of fact, all the work I left and frankly did not worry about is still here ready for me to tackle afresh, which I can do now that I’m rested and refreshed.

Don’t get me wrong- this was the first real, bona fide Vacation (note the capital “v”) that I’ve taken in recent memory. Why? Well, I felt guilty about taking time off, even though others around me did it, and I felt worried that I’d “miss something” or that something major would fall through the cracks with me gone.

Several seasons of observation, however, of the people in my work and personal life whom I view as successful, balanced, and consistently effective people have taught me several things that have made me a big believer in The Vacation. Here are the highlights and what I’ve done to incorporate them into my own life- I hope they are helpful for you:

1. Work Hard, Play Hard: Not in the sense of kill yourself and then recover, but what I’ve seen is that people I really respect and admire professionally and personally are unrelenting in their ability to be effective at work, engaging in a minimum of time-wasting and a maximum of thoughtful, hard work. When they are at work, they are 100% AT WORK, not dorking around on YouTube or Facebook, going out to coffee and social lunches, or gabbing in the offices of others. This incredible and consistent effort while at work is balanced by well-deserved 100% VACATIONS. They may not happen very often, but when they do, they are complete; the vacationer is absolutely and completely out of the office. When the vacationer returns to work, he/she is refreshed, clear, and able to take back on the mantle of effective work and leadership they bore prior to the break. Their tank has been refilled, and everyone benefits.

2. Use Logic: Plan your vacation time carefully. Don't schedule it during a major project that requires your involvement. Steer clear of typically busy times during the year, and when possible, plan to be gone during “slow times” seasons.

3. Get your House in Order: Prepare your workplace and colleagues by handing off pieces of your work while you are gone, and return the favor when they are on vacation. Forward calls to someone in your organization or leave an outgoing voice message that you're out of the office and will follow up when you return, and where folks should call for urgent matters. Automate your e-mail with an 'out of the office' reply.

4. Clock Out: When on vacation, do not take work with you, check your email, answer work phone calls, or check in. The fear that something major will happen and that the office will not be able to struggle along without your wisdom is simply unfounded. Use this precious time to recharge, and do it fully. Imagine filling up a gas tank that has a hole in the bottom. Although you keep putting gas in, it never fills up because it is leaking out the whole time. Vacations are like that for your physical and emotional heath, and work intrusions are like the hole in the tank. If you spend a great day hiking in the summer sun only to come back to your cabin to deal with an hour of work email, you are simply not effectively refilling your tank.

5. Don’t Apologize: Everyone who works and works hard deserves some down time. It is yours- take it and make the most of it.

No matter how hard, complicated, or demanding your job may be, it’s critical to take the time to tune out and take a real Vacation. You will return renewed, refreshed, and ready to deal with the work you left behind and what accumulated while you were away. This investment in yourself is one of the most overlooked yet valuable tools you have to avoid career burnout, emotional fatigue, and untoward effects of stress on your physical and mental health.

So this week has been crazy. I'm in the middle of writing a huge grant, my kids have had all kinds activities, and my Mom had a major surgery this week and I'm hanging out at the hospital a lot. I don't know if you've ever had weeks or days like I've been having this week, but they are hard on my diet and healthy eating plan. For example, yesterday I had about 20 minutes to run down to the hospital cafeteria to grab something to eat. My choices were 1. Hot entree line with chicken carbonara (displayed calories: 920- YIKES.; 2. Deli sandwich line 6 people deep waiting; 3. Salad bar largely picked over with all the protein options gone except for the mayonaisse-y tuna salad- sigh. So... I took the best choices I could from the salad bar, grabbed a skim milk, and headed back up to the waiting area. This was the only chance I had to eat yesterday until I got home at nearly 9pm and had a peanut butter and apple sandwich on whole wheat bread and a glass of wine (not together). Good thing I had my Shakeology as I was dashing out the door yesterday to meet my folks at the hospital. This was a week where I ended up doing that for at least one meal a day, and I swear, it saved my nutrition and my energy levels. It also kept me from getting crappy food on the road or at the cafeteria. I'm typically not a "shake person" but I'm sold on this stuff. It's yummy, low calorie (only 140 per serving when you mix with water), filling (I feel full for 3 hours or more when I drink one), and gets me a TON of nutrition. I urge you to check it out. It helps me get the nutrition I need (no matter how busy my day is). Want to try some for free? Email me and I'll send you some.

One of the biggest things I struggle with with my fitness and that I hear over and over again from clients is problems staying motivated to stay on track with diet and exercise. Of course it's easy when you put on that dres you haven't worn for 10 years but what about the weeks when the scal doesn't budge adn you're craving a Monte Christo? As far as motivation goes one thing I do for myself and have my Beachbody coaching clients do is sit down and make 2 lists: 1 list is of all the tangible things they'll have/feel/not have to worry about when they lose weight (notice I said "when" not "if" they lose). The other list is of all the tangible things they'll have ro not have/feel/have to worry about if they do not get serious about weight loss. Basically, I have them answer the question "What happens if I keep going along the way I am now?". The answers to these questions don't have to me lofty things about only health- they can be things about where can you shop for clothes, whether you can fit into a movie theater seat, wanting your knees to stop hurting, or not feeling attractive. For me this was really a compelling thing to do since I'm really wanting to avoid the health consequences of obesity and have a daughter for whom I don't want to set a bad example of yo-yo dieting. Once you've done this, make some index cards or sticky notes of some of your favorite reasons why you're doing this for yourself and put them in your car, on your fridge on your bathroom mirror, etc to remind you. As far as staying motivated and accountable, think about using a coach. Yes they can be spendy, but if you're interested in buying a home fitness video form Beachbody, you get a free coach when you do that- it's pretty cool and has been a huge help to me and now I really enjoy coaching others. Give this a try and see if it helps you remember why you're doing this for yourself- remember, all you have to do is get through cravings or points of weakening resolve (research shows cravings last only about 20 minutes). I swear, this works!! To learn more about diet and fitness for busy people, check out http://fitnessthatfitsyou.com.