Vigilance

One of my friends brought up the subject of vigilance, and I think it is a good one. Vigilance is one of the main keys to successful losing and then maintaining. 

We all begin our weight loss and health seeking journeys with the best intentions. We vow to eat right, to exercise, to commit ourselves to change. For weeks, and months, we fix an eagle's eye on our menu choices and exercise totals. We track calories, nutrients, total minutes of cardio. And then, in the full bloom of success, our concentration wanes a bit. At first, it's barely noticeable. We have dessert, and there is no change in the rate of losing. If one dessert didn't hurt, then perhaps a nice juicy cheeseburger will have no significant impact. We are still exercising, we tell ourselves, and that is keeping us on track. Ever so insidiously, the bad habits we fought so hard to overcome have crept back into our lives. A day or two of skipping the cardio is compounded by a well-deserved night out. Before we even realize it is happening, we have fallen off that dreaded wagon. Our cravings have returned, the scale has stalled out or is creeping up again, and we are no longer on a fitness journey. We are parked in a rest area eating candy and checking the map to figure out where we made the wrong turn. 

If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone. The road toward fitness has many challenges. There are detours, road blocks, and rest areas all along the route. It is our responsibility to be vigilant and to watch for these dangers. Unlike the real highways, bright yellow with clear symbols, the signs of trouble on routes like Highway 150 are much more subtle. We must be aware of the dangers and remain on the lookout for these signs. We must be vigilant.