Have you ever fallen off the health bandwagon only to find yourself waking up with a stronger resolve to commit to your health plan? It may not be such a bad thing to cheat on your diet every now and then or skip a workout. While it could be a slippery slope towards abandoning your health regimen all together, there could be some benefits both psychologically and physiologically. For starters, we typically feel gross after indulging in some of those forbidden foods. This can serve as a powerful reminder to the value of eating clean. We quickly recognize the stark difference between feeling bloated and tired vs. clear headed and energized. We might be motivated to go grocery shopping, fill up the fridge with everything on our clean eating list and commit with stronger resolve to eating healthy. Regarding the physical benefit, science shows that extreme low calorie diets can slow down metabolism causing your body to conserve energy rather than burning it off. A sudden influx of extra calories can rev up the metabolism and cause a shift out of conservation mode.
How detrimental is it to skip that workout? Similar to the downer feeling after overindulging you may notice stiffness and sluggishness when you don’t exercise or sit around all day. Again a powerful reminder to the benefit of exercise and it’s impact on overall well being. On the flip side, sometimes your body needs the rest day to heal from a long string of strenuous workouts. Excessive exercise can be inflammatory by elevating the production of killer molecules known as free radicals. Allow your body time for rest and repair.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. A cheat or skip day every now and then might not be so bad after all. The difference between quitters and those who are consistently fit and healthy is that successful people don’t let one slip up derail their entire program. They simply get up the next day, pick up where they left off and keep moving forward. So next time you fall off the bandwagon don’t beat yourself up for straying. Get up, get back on track and know that one off day isn’t going to completely undo months or years of hard work. It just might do your body good.
