If there were a room 101 for all of the terms that I hate hearing and would gladly abolish, then the word “wagon” would be one of the first to go. I’m not too keen on “diet” either. I’d probably throw that one in there too.

You see, in my all years as a professional rugby player, personal trainer, and all-round health and positivity coach, I’ve come to realise that most people see their quest for getting healthy and fit as a time of sacrifice.

That Sunday night feeling you had when you were a kid and didn’t want to go to school the next day washes over them at the thought of having to live on carrots and celery; cut out the coffee, chocolate, alcohol, or (insert your personal favourite treat here) and put themselves on some kind of “wagon”.

Living on Carrots & Celery

Let’s be honest; that sounds pretty awful, especially if you’re looking at investing in your health for the long term. If I had to live on celery, carrots and water for the rest of my life, I’d be pretty miserable too.

But getting fit and losing weight, adding healthy habits to your lifestyle and strengthening your body and mind doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you love – in fact, far from it.

If you overindulged at the rugby club dinner last night, spent a weekend eating cakes and crumpets, or even a two-week all-inclusive blowout in the Bahamas, that doesn’t mean you’ve “fallen off the wagon”. In fact, I’m pretty sure that in the Western world wagons have been obsolete since the 1900’s.

So, if there’s no wagon to fall off, then you haven’t fallen off the wagon, right?

But What About the Weight Gain?

OK, let’s be realistic. Two weeks of overeating and drinking and general indulgence don’t come without a price. Not only is your bank balance probably looking a little low, but your waistline is feeling the effects as well.

But if you’re going to spend the next few days, weeks, or months worrying about and regretting those delicious seafood dinners and champagne cocktails by the pool then, what was the point in doing it in the first place?

And if you’re like most of our clients at the DVCC, then you probably work pretty hard. Having a holiday, allowing yourself to enjoy a bar of chocolate, or a dinner with friends every now and then is not only something totally permissible, but it’s actually healthy. Because getting fit for life is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s mental as well as physical.

Dealing with Negativity

Human beings are conditioned to focus on the negative. It’s not our fault. It goes way back to our cavemen days, as an instinct for survival. It’s a proven fact that we have greater sensitivity to negative events than to positive ones. While this negativity bias may be useful when it comes to brute survival, it can cause distress in our everyday lives.

Have you ever had a progress meeting at work and been praised for all the positive things you’ve accomplished in the last few months, and then had a couple of suggestions made for improvement in certain areas at the end? You’ll probably remember that it wasn’t long before the negative feedback overtook all the positive comments in your mind.

It’s the same with your health. If you drink your three litres of water a day, enjoy a regular workout, and are generally healthy all year round, then why are you going to let one meal, one weekend, or one holiday spoil all that?

Why focus on the negative, the weight you’ve gained, or the things out of your control, when you can look forward to the future and the next good thing you can do for your body? Stop worrying about the calories or the metaphorical wagon. There is no wagon. It’s time to move on.