The fork in the road

There inevitably comes a point when all the hard work pays off; when there was notable success in your exercise or nutrition routine, perhaps you lost that weight, fit into that dress, looked your best and you shined in your critical limelight. Congratulations. It is such a tremendous sense of accomplishment to mark a date on the calendar to look or achieve your best, then use willpower, determination and persistence to make your dreams a reality.

Now, all the compliments have been given, the vacation is over, people impressed. You have dutifully and proudly silenced the critics. Its ten days into your “Pizza and ice cream” phase where you reward yourself for the months of sweat and healthy foods. As you sit there late one night in a sugar stupor on your couch you finally have THE thought…I need to start up again.

The reality is that most people have this thought about a dozen times before they actually feel pressured to make a decision to do something. There is a fork in the road about two weeks after any big event; one road is obviously well traveled with familiar signs and smells that lazily curves back around to where you were when you started this crazy trip and another road that climbs a steep dusty mountain leading to your next goal.

Right now you may look but certainly don’t feel as strong or as beautiful as the day you achieved your goals. But now the suppressed habits of your old life are competing with the structure and sacrifice of the new. The sad fact is that most people silently and far too comfortably fall back into their old habits and as if on auto-pilot they take the lazy curve back to the life of complacency. Back to the wardrobe which three weeks ago was bragged about that ‘nothing fit’. Back to the impulse eating and binge snacking late at night. Back to looking at yourself in the mirror each morning only to suck in, pull on and berate yourself mentally.

Dare to be great. Don’t take the curve in the road that you have seen a hundred people take before, the lazy curve that leads to weight gain and tight pants and lack of energy. Take the road that climbs the mountain, the steep road that causes you to sweat and sacrifice junk food for cleaner burning energy. Climbing the mountain doesn’t have the repetitive and calm scenery of the plains but when you finally look up from the road after a particularly steep part of the climb and you look out around you, the view reminds you that the effort was worth it. You don't want to take a picture of the left turn you navigate each day to work but you always wish you have one when reach the top of a peak with a killer view.

Many times when you come to the fork in the road, the arc moving away you’re your beginning is not all that rough. The mountain looks really steep because you remember how much effort it was the first time however it’s easy to forget that your body and the mind are in a different place, adapted to the climb. After a few bumps in the road getting started again you realize you have adapted to the effort and enjoy the challenge, the road becomes easier to travel. Once you have tasted success you realize that sacrifice and sweat are worth the effort.

The goal in your mind this time may be completely different than the first one which means the road is not the same. When you reach your perfect weight, the next goal may not be weight loss, it may be performance driven, it may be destination driven. Ask yourself a question: If you were your ideal weight right now, what would you do that you don’t currently do? Surprised at your answer? Hike Europe. Run a marathon. Go to a tropical beach and just sit and soak without any mental torture.

After reaching a goal like weight loss, or fitting into an outfit for a dinner, or a wedding, or just finally being fed up with the way you look in the mirror; it’s normal and necessary to take a break and bask in your success. Good Job. But when the time comes for you to decide if you go back to where you came from or if you continue to pack your workout bag and extra snacks every morning remember the way you felt on the day you reached your last goal. Remember that all that adoration and success came because you took the fork in the road.