Push Past the “Derailers” and Carry On

Today I’m sharing some inspiration to get you through this week! Summer is coming to and end, and fall is just around the corner! For most of us, this means less weekends spent barbecuing and beaching, and more days getting things done at work or school. As for me, I begin my dietetic internship tomorrow, so I know I will be crazy busy. Not to mention, my first rotation  is clinical, so from now until Thanksgiving, I will be observing/working as a dietitian in the hospital. Between seeing patients, doing case studies, and going to class, it’s going to be a whirlwind. #stressful

I know I could use some inspiration, and perhaps you could, too!

I recently got to stay at the Madonna Inn, located in San Luis Obispo. This hotel is known for its unique, eclectic, and downright outrageous design. It’s a definite must-see, and I think everyone should stay there at least once, just for the experience.

I stayed in the Carin room, which is absolutely bursting with pink. Pink is the color of the Madonna Inn, which made me feel right at home. I could not believe how pink my room was, and I felt a bit like a fairytale princess or maybe Barbie staying in this room. For some people, this look might be too much, and for others, it might be exactly what they love. Which brings me to my first point: there are people who love the Madonna Inn, and there are people who’s opinions are quite the opposite, aka it’s ridiculous.

Isn’t this true in life? There are gonna be people who love you and understand, and people who are not so fond of you, or don’t “get” you, but you better be certain that everyone is going to have an opinion. It’s totally up to you how you handle the opinions of others. The Madonna Inn doesn’t tone down the pink and sparkles to appeal to more people, or to fit in, so we shouldn’t feel obligated to conform to how others want us to be, either.

I want to cover a specific aspect of falling prey to what other’s want us to think/say/do/be, which is… your healthy lifestyle. There will be people in your life (friends, family, coworkers) who might not understand your desire to eat healthy or have an active lifestyle. They just don’t get it (you mean…you actually ordered a salad instead of fries?!) I like to call them “Derailers”. They are going to try to derail you from your health goals, and sometimes, they might even succeed. Family members may think your exercise routine is ridiculous and that you don’t even need to exercise. Friends might want to go out tooooo many nights a week, and give you a hard time if you want to stay in. Coworkers may push you to take some doughnuts from the box they bring to the office, and if you don’t, they make a big deal of it and say you are crazy. Yep, all derailers, whether they mean to be or not.

My advice? Simply put, push past the Derailers and carry on! Be firm in your health goals and wellness philosophy, and be proud of how you take care of yourself. You are the one who has the  ultimate power to take care of you, not anyone else in your environment. When a derailer comes along, remember how you want to feel and what standards you hold yourself to. They may try to make you feel dumb, boring, or like a total weirdo for the choices you make. Your power comes from not allowing them to negatively affect you, or sway you into making unhealthy choices. When a derailer comes along, it’s always best to politely say no. (Gotta kill ’em with kindness, people!) And I promise, no one is going to get mad at you for not taking a brownie. (And if they do, that sounds like their own personal problem to me.)

If you feel comfortable enough with the derailer, you can always explain to them how you are trying to take good care of yourself and make healthy choices, but ultimately, you don’t really owe an explanation as to why you want to go for a run or get some extra hours of zzzzzzzz’s.

Can we talk about these sequined walls for a minute?! I mean, talk about dazzling!

Derailers are not the easiest obstacle to overcome, and pushing past them is something I still work on all the time. Some ways I carry on are to:

1. Find someone you trust to hold you accountable to your goals. You are much more likely to keep to them if someone knows what you are going after.
2. Write down your wellness philopshy, and hang it where you can see it often to keep you fired up.
3. Convert the derailers. Invite your fam to go for a walk, or get your girlfriend to grab a green smoothie with you instead of a DQ Blizzard. Show them what it’s like to walk on your side of the fence, and they might actually want to join you more often!
4. Don’t get discouraged if a derailer derails you. Get back up, and keep doing your best. Health and wellness is a continuous journey, so be gentle with yourself.
5. Don’t get too caught up that you start to miss out on life. It’s totally a fabulous part of life to grab drinks with friends or split a sundae with your sister. Ultimately, it’s all about the long term, and the habits you hold to daily- not the treats you enjoy occasionally.
   
    

The Madonna Inn is known for it’s pink champagne cake. Perfect for an afternoon tea with friends, especially if it’s in a pink sparkly room 🙂

Tell me, what are your major derailers, and how have you (or how do you plan to) overcome them? It’s always helpful to get another perspective on how others are staying focused on achieving or maintaining their health goals, so share away! Have a fabulous week!

XO, Alexandra