There is nothing more frustrating than putting in hours at the gym, completing as many or even more circuits then we planned for, and then ruining our health and fitness regime by letting our healthy diet off the hook. Indeed, it is often said, and is largely true, that fitness and diet are inextricably linked. It’s no use having discipline in one area if we cannot follow through with the other.
Thankfully, there are some ways that we can force ourselves to not only avoid an unhealthy diet, but actively push for a healthier one.
The age-old reward system works because of the simple fact that we love getting something at the end of a hard job. They say the only way to truly enjoy something is to earn it first. Instead of having pizza night every Friday, consider only having it on a Friday if we did not exceed our predetermined maximum calorie count for the week. We can even give ourselves an even harder time by taking that onto a requirement to have gone to the gym every day as well.
Another way to ensure our diet remains as disciplined as our fitness regime is to look at our wallets, which is something we can all relate to. If we are not suitably spurred on by the effect our diet is having on our lifestyle, we should be scared by how much an unhealthy diet affects our disposable income. Taking money that would have been spent on treats and unhealthy food, putting it in a jar and spending it on a nice piece of fitness equipment at the end of the month saves us money, calories and the need to head to the gym as much.
As with most things regarding discipline, we need to look at ourselves and work out where our weaknesses lie. If we are not worried about the financial implications of a poor diet, for instance, a money jar is not going to help. Finding a system that hits us and resonates on a personal level is the best way to follow a disciplined diet.
