Well if anyone knows about traveling, it would be those of us who participate in the RV lifestyle. We dedicate as much of our lives to traveling as we can afford, and may even go into overdraft situations just to spend a little more time on the road.
Picture yourself trying to travel from Texas to Maine as quickly as possible. Now imagine taking a turn towards California. You’re way off course, right? It’s very similar when you realize you want to start taking the healthy lifestyle path.
The road to good health is very much like traveling the freeways and highways. It seems like a straight shot- exercise, eat healthy foods, stop smoking, stay away from too much liquor and drugs, deal with stress effectively, treasure family and friends, etc. Not a problem, until we get started. We spend a few days without a hitch, maintaining course and making good time (with sensible stops for stretching and relaxing of course). But suddenly, before you know it, you are headed off down a bumpy side road, with little understanding of how you got there. The best thing to do is backtrack and find just where you veered off the road so you can get back onto the straight and narrow.
This is the way the healthy lifestyle road goes. You find out as much as you can about the driving conditions and what you can expect on the way. Then you give a systems check to your own vehicle- see a physician, nutritionist, physical trainer, or research the subject. Now you are ready to take off again, with a better plan tucked into the dash. You may see that same side road (a fast food place appears just about when you are feeling ravenous) but this time you’re ready- you have a refrigerator full of healthy food choices, easy to prepare snacks and meals that keep your fuel tank topped off and your energy level up to peak efficiency. This time you drive right past the pitfall and pull over at a park to take a walk, stretch and enjoy a healthy meal. Hooray, you stayed on the road of good intentions. Reward yourself with plenty of positive compliments.
Discovering that healthy lifestyle path quickly is difficult if you took turns early in life that led you away.If you find yourself veering off the chosen path along the same lines, you may have to reassess what is causing the detour. Are you waiting too long between meals? Trying to accomplish too much in too little time? Losing patience with the gradual slow path that leads to permanent good habit formation? Each time we take a side road, it becomes an opportunity for learning and growth. Don’t chide yourself for losing your way, instead take a deep breath and ask yourself how you could have avoided it and plan what you can do the next time you come to that fork in the road. If you stick with your resolve–to change your life and live a healthy lifestyle, to stay on the wellness road–you will eventually find yourself with the ultimate travel plan, a lifetime of health, high energy, and strength to follow all the fascinating possibilities that come along the way.