You look good, you feel good.

Hey peeps, things work in cycles..... Take for example the moon. First it's not there, then a sliver, then bigger and bigger until its full, then GONE - working in a cycle. Same thing goes for the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, repeat in an ongoing cycle.  Cycles are all over our lives and are a part of our world.

Cycles can work for and or against us. They can be ongoing, vicious, positive, or negative.  In the wellness world we are going to check out what cycles can do to help or hurt our progress towards our goals.  Let's first take a look at the negative, shall we? (If your reading this.... we shall!) Then we will end on a more positive note!

• I don't feel like going to the gym today
• Since I didn't go to the gym I might as well not watch what I eat so much
• Now I feel sluggish and don't want to move
• Sluggish and feeling unhealthy, I make bad dietary decisions again
• repeat the above steps, and eventually I feel like I have dug myself too deep a hole to ever climb out of

I don't like you because you're dangerous

Sometimes we are just going down and going down hard as if we have taken heavy punishment from Maverick and Goose and we are suddenly in a tailspin.  A downward spiral of negativity leads one into making one poor decision and excuse after another.  After a while it seems almost impossible to get back on the right track and get things moving in the right direction again.  When you find yourself stuck in a cycle such as this one, it's important that you don't try to fix everything at once.  Focus on one small change such as eating a clean, healthy breakfast.  This seems reasonable, right? You start the day on the right foot, by getting up and eating a few eggs and some slices of cantaloupe (mmmmmmm), then you are off and running.  You stick to this healthy breakfast for a couple weeks, then build off of that and keep adding more positive changes, until next thing you know you are well on your way back to your goals.

Now let's get a look at how a positive cycle can help us reach our goals (its basically the opposite of what i just wrote above). 

• I am planing on going to the gym tomorrow, so I am preparing tonight
• I will eat a healthy breakfast to get ready for my workout
• I am at the gym and kicking ass!
• Now that I went to the gym I don't want to ruin it, so I will eat healthily the rest of the day
• Hopefully avoid alcohol at night
• Feeling good and healthy, now I want to go to the gym tomorrow as well

As this cycle continues to repeat and build upon itself you start to really notice some differences, first in fitness levels, then in appearance.  Next thing you know you are looking a bit more slim and feeling better (hence the title, you look good you feel good) and this encourages you to keep things going in the right direction.  It becomes easier and easier to stay focused and on task when you are feeling all of the positive effects, and receiving compliments from peers about how good you are looking lately!  Now the key is when you get thrown off for whatever reason, maybe you just go out and eat a bunch of unhealthy things, celebrate something and have a bunch of drinks, go to a football game and tailgate your face off, whatever the reason...... GET BACK ON TRACK QUICKLY!!! Don't let one event lead toward a bad cycle, right the ship and keep on sailing. 

Good luck and enjoy.

Until next time people, embrace the burn!