thePULSEThe Ugly Side of Looking Good
By Craig Lindberg
So this was the year.
You joined the gym, hired a trainer, researched the diet and achieved that fitness goal. It was hard work, but satisfying. You’ve never looked or felt better…and now it’s done. Time to celebrate!
“Pass the pizza and keep the drafts coming.” “I’ll get back to the gym tomorrow.” “Just one more cheat day then I’m back on the program.”
Sound familiar?
There is a down side to dieting and training that most people don’t realize. 
The dedication it takes to achieve any physically demanding goal or to prepare for a fitness event ~ whether it’s a marathon, bodybuilding show, or even fitting into those size 2 jeans ~ is monumental; however, maintaining that level of fitness can be even more daunting. The strain can take its toll both physically and psychologically, and it’s often harder to cope with the latter.
At its core, intensive training and/or dieting have one thing in common: deprivation. I’m not talking about eliminating carbohydrates or fats per se, but maybe you just stopped going to McDonalds for lunch every day, or simply switched your morning coffee from extra/extra to skim and Splenda.
The point is, you have eliminated something from your diet and therefore you are depriving yourself of it.
The same can be said for the training aspect of your routine. True, you have added time at the gym or out on the road, but that probably means you have sacrificed some other activity or indulgence in order to accommodate your training. You, in essence, are depriving yourself of something, even if that something is sitting in front of the TV and catching the latest episode of “South Park.”
Depending on the level of deprivation, the reintroduction of these restrictions can and will have a negative effect on both your physique and your psyche.
Sometimes it takes much longer to get back into it for a variety of reasons.
That two pounds you initially gained back turns into 20 and that sculpted physique is far less chiseled and now you can’t climb a fight of stairs without using the guard rail never mind getting on a treadmill to run 3 miles
What now?
The prospect of re-entering the gym in your current state is humiliating and you’ll be damned if you’re going to give up your evening glass of wine.
Here is where the psychological aspect of training comes into play.
You have to convince yourself that where you were is worth giving up where you are.
No I don’t mean to get all existential on all of you, but what it comes down to is what do you want more, and believe me; you need to want to get back to where you were 100%. If only 99% of you wants to change, that 1% that doesn’t is going to find a reason to cheat.
So how do you do it?
Swallow your pride and start slowly ~ 3 miles on the treadmill a couple times a week. Decrease your weights by a few pounds and start with a full body workout a couple times a week.
Ease into the diet, too. Get back to the skim and Splenda and take out the obvious offenders to your Michelangelo’s David ideal. Watch the drinking and snacks.
You’ll be feeling better before you know it and the better you feel and look, the easier it will be to add a day or two here and there and to say no to that late night pizza.
Craig Lindberg, CPT, is the founder and owner of Optimal Performance Center, www.opcfitness.com.
