Ok, so we are getting to that time of year when our schedules become jam packed with shopping, parties, decorating, family get-togethers (or in my case, extra bell choir rehearsals at church, lol).

And you know that old saying that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail? Well, I'm putting a strategy out here in black and white to help me remember what to do if I mess up.

So let me paint a scene for you...see if it sounds familiar. You are planning to go to the gym on Monday morning. You've got your gear ready, you have your nutritious breakfasst planned, water bottle filled, etc. And then, you get up Monday morning only to find that you have a massive headache. You can't possibly workout. You crawl to the medicine cabinet, take some medication and try to function as best you can. Tuesday comes and you have to do the grocery shopping or your family won't have anything for dinner. You get up on Wednesday and say, eh, I've missed Monday and Tuesday, I'm not going to worry about this week. I'll start fresh next Monday. Only when the next Monday comes, something else happens and the next thing you know, it's been a month since you went to the gym.

Ok, so that's a true story. That was me last December. A crazy series of events kept preventing me from getting that fresh Monday start and I missed the entire month of December.

However, I now have a different mindset. I know, it seems simple, obvious really. But now, when I miss a day, for whatever the reason, I don't feel like I've blown the week so I might as well not do anything. Now, I just make sure I go the next day. On top of that, some days, events keep me from the gym, but I've also realized that doesn't mean I have to miss working out. I've got some DVD's, jump rope, medicine ball, etc and I can fashion a pretty good workout for myself.

So that's the first part. What to do when you miss a day. But what about when you mess up a day. Oh boy. Have I been there! I never have a problem with a healthy breakfast. I love oatmeal and bananas and that's been a staple of mine for a while. And lunch, usually not a problem either. But boy oh boy, the afternoon snack munchies are just awful on me some days. I've tried the, "don't have it in the house" strategy. Yeah, doesn't really work for me, because I WILL find something some way. Usually it has something to do with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon...so I've got other strategies that I use...I chew gum, I come on and Spark, I sew, etc. But some days...it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I find myself mindlessly grazing. Here's the thing though, I no longer say oh, well I've blown today, I might as well gorge myself the rest of the day.

One of my fellow BLC Spies put forward this analogy...if you've run a red light, you don't say to yourself, oh well, I've messed that up today, I might as well run all the red lights today. No! You say, wow, I've got to be more careful and you go about your day.

So this coming holiday season, I am not going to let any setbacks deter me from reaching my goal. If I miss a day, I'll just work harder the next day (or the next day after that). If I slip up and find myself with that peanut butter and spoon, I'll just make sure that I have a healthy dinner and work harder the next day (or the day after that). I will forgive myself the mistakes I make and I will learn from them.