On Health & Body: Get Back Up!

[Monthly Columnist – Jaimie Bowman] – It’s that time of year again – the mid-January to February slump after New Year’s resolutions were made.

According to About.com,the second most popular New Year’s Resolution was to “Fit in Fitness.” The third most popular was to “Tame the Bulge.”

However, by now, most of us have driven through Taco Bell on that way-too-short lunch break, or found that hidden stash of Christmas candy that we thought we threw away.

And who can skip that bowl of ice cream during an episode of Downton Abbey or The Bachelor? As if!

Every day, and with every decision we make, we are moving towards our health goals or away from them.

Yet the most important part of success is the ability to get back up!

Did you have a slip-up yesterday? Get back up!

Did you have a slip-up ten minutes ago? Get back up!

The problem is that many of us quit by now. We give in to something we had previously banned, and then we feel hopeless.

“I’m never going to change!”

“I just can’t do this!”

“It’s not even worth it!”

We fill our minds with negative self-talk that brings us down even further.

And this is why, year after year, we have the same resolutions–because by February, we’ve already given up.

Let’s say that today you get back up, and today is January 1st for you again–and in two days, you fail. You just can’t seem to get a handle on your struggle.

Instead of saying to yourself, “See, I told you that you couldn’t do it!”

This time, say to yourself, “Get back up.”

Even if you try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, you are not a failure if you are not giving up.

Whether your goal is for health, for a habit you want to break, to finish something you started, it is great that you have chosen to work towards something beneficial.

Instead of looking too far ahead to that end goal that seems impossible, think about today.

What is a goal that you can reach today?

If the end of the day is too far away for you, the temptation is too great, and you want to quit by noon, then make noon your goal.

Then 3:00.
Then 6:00.
Then 9:00.

Break it up into smaller steps and see if that keeps you motivated.

Your measure of success is directly related to your ability to get back up, and we are here cheering you on.

Jaimie Bowman is a minister, speaker and writer who lives in Southern California. She loves speaking truth into women’s lives and helping them find their unique purpose. Together with her husband and two sons (ages 5 and 7), you can often find them stuck in traffic on the 405, trying to find new places to explore. Jaimie blogs regularly at The Wonder Years and you can find out more about her at JaimieBowman.com.