Tempted by a chippy tea? Think again

If you did have a treat then I’m sure it made you feel great at the time, even the fittest and most in shape people do. Everything in moderation is a good starting point.

But if you had a massive binge for the last couple of days, and you are trying to achieve a goal or target, are you left wondering why you can never quite achieve that goal and that it all seems so very elusive?

It's so easy to blame the binge on someone or something else: "Oh it was so and so's birthday", or "I had a bad week". "It was a christening, would have been rude not to."

“I was so stressed out and needed that large glass of wine, which led to another, then I got the taste for it and I met my friend and we just thought well, it doesn’t matter.”

“I really wanted a Chinese meal so I had one.”

“The weather is so good, perfect for a BBQ and a few beers or a bottle of wine or three!”

“I've been good all week, I can easily get back on the wagon tomorrow.”

It’s great if you can get back on the wagon tomorrow or if it really is a one-off, or a rare treat.

No need to beat yourself up about it, you made a choice, you enjoyed it at the time and now it’s back to working hard towards your goal. Life is here to be enjoyed, right?

The thing is, most of us think the same way and then get so frustrated when we don't actually achieve our goals; we come close but never seem to surpass them.

Some of us don’t ever come close to achieving our goal and it seems so far away.

The majority of people I come across also get so close to achieving what they want then blow it as they’ve given in to peer pressure, then blame others for giving in.

It’s YOU who is in control of your choices, you and only you!

In the words of a cracking reputable personal trianer in London, Dax Moy: “The problem is, if you use food as a rewardthen you're creating a relationship that creates the yo-yo effect we all know and hate.

"You'll diet then say 'I've been good' then eat junk to reinforce your ability to NOT eat junk.

Read that again.

Your reward for NOT eating rubbish is that you CAN eat rubbish.

Does that make sense?

And if you eat junk because work's been stressful or you had an argument with your partner, realise that you're making your body a slave to other circumstances that are not of your making or choosing but rather because something has annoyed you.

Yet you also know that eating junk won't stop you from being annoyed, so what's the point?”

So, I say to you as both a fitness and nutritional expert: Make that change to your weekly routine.

Do something else that makes you feel good and have fun, like an activity or a break away to the countryside.

Go bowling, mess about with the kids, get messy painting, shoot some pool, have a relaxing day, chill in the garden, read a book, meditate.

It doesn’t have to be exercise related. Just start to do something else that makes you feel good.

Otherwise, if you keep relying on food and booze as your relaxant and de-stress tool then you won’t achieve your goals and you will be forever striving for the unobtainable.

Another way to look at it is, how does it benefit me?

If you know it will make you feel immediately good but that you'll be kicking yourself afterwards for the next day or so then is it really worth doing in the first place?

Stay positive folks, you can achieve your goals. It just takes a little bit of effort and breaking the norm of what everybody else does.

Don’t be a follower and a sheep but be a leader and have the courage to be a lion.

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