Breaking that negative thought cycle

After training long and hard for 4 months and not achieving my goal it would be easy to fall prey to negative thoughts. This is where the cycle begins for most people. Negative thoughts leads to negative feelings which leads to negative actions and finally negative reactions.
It's normal to do some reflecting and I did plenty of that for about 2 days. It was not a coincidence that these two days were days that I wasn't able to physically run. Running for me isn't just about a physical activity as it provides me with a healthy outlet to vent my frustrations. Even though I rode my stationary bike on Tuesday morning, it didn't give me the satisfaction that I need from running.
Over the last 3 days I've been running again and feeling better about not only my last race but looking towards future goals as well. I think that this is one area where I work the most with my clients on. Goals shouldn't be just singular but instead it's important to have multiple goals. It's easier, then, to focus on the next task at hand once one goal has been completed. Even though I love running, I like to race about once per month so that I have a goal to work towards.
As soon as I got over the disappointment of my last race I started working on the plan for my next one.

When I discuss goals with my clients, it's often centered around their eating. We talk about making small changes to their eating instead of focusing on the bigger picture which can be overwhelming for most. When they experience setbacks, I encourage them to move forward instead of dwelling on the past. I find that this is the hardest thing for most people to do though. It's so easy to beat ourselves up for not being "perfect" when in reality nobody is.

This upcoming weekend will be hard for some of my clients as they will be invited out to weekend parties where they may not be able to have control over their food options. I spent lots of time this week talking about portion control. If you are limited to your food choices than simply try to eat smaller portions than what you have traditionally had. As you start to eat healthier foods more often, you will notice that when you start eating foods which are not as healthy your digestion, energy and sleeping patterns will all be negatively affected. What people tend to do if they know they are going to be invited to parties is not eat up until they leave. I teach my clients to do the opposite of this. The other thing you want to do is make sure you drink lots of water. Finally, don't forget that exercise is the great "equalizer" and if you partake in regular physical activity, at least 1 hour per day, than you have a little more "wiggle room" for the occasional unhealthy food. IF you do endulge, though, don't dwell on it or think negatively about your ability to reach your goals. Pick yourself up and move forward. You'll feel better in the long run.