How You See Setbacks

by Kris Pitcher

Life has a natural order to it. It doesn't always go the way we anticipate. When you least expect it you get sick, injured or have to deal with something that consumes way too much time.

These are setbacks. They are called setbacks because they set us back from our progress, from moving toward our goals. Our energies are diverted to the thing which has set us back. It's simple, and it's normal. It happens.

So, how is it that some people just seem to spring back while others lay down and quit? The way we manage and cope with our setbacks determines our future success with weight management. It all starts with how we see the setback.

It's perspective really. An injury, or sickness can set you back for a week or more. Depressing? Sure. But this is a reality of life. People get injured, or sick. It's time to take care of that issue and focus on getting better. That becomes the priority.

Being able to do that takes a long-term philosophy about your exercise and eating well. We're not just doing this for a short time. We are doing this for the rest of our lives. So, a week of having the flu really isn't a big deal in the long run.

If we miss a week of workouts it's not a big deal. We have a lifetime of workouts left. See? If the flu keeps us from being able to eat anything of substance and all we can stomach is soup and a few saltine crackers. Big deal.

We need to keep our electrolytes up, our fluids in and something in our system. If we can't keep six chicken meals down, we need to give ourselves a break. We are sick. It happens.

The way we handle setbacks depends on our longer term outlook about our health and fitness. If we have a short-term approach...sure by all means it is the end of the world. We might as well quit right now because we scraped our elbow.

But with a long-term approach to this process, we know that a slight setback is just for right now. We will be able to get right back in the gym just as soon as the fever breaks and we can keep some nutrients down.

If you're looking for excuses to throw in the towel, this isn't it. You're going to have to do better. Get your long-term view in mind because a setback is just that, a setback. We all have them, and we'll have more. The way we see them is what determines our success. How do you see yours?