Trainers are Human Too?

We recently received some bad news about my mom's health.  I drowned my anxiety, sadness, and fear in a 2-serving size of Cape Cod potato chips (260 empty calories) followed by a Devil Dog (180 empty calories) and washed down with a 20-oz Diet Dr. Pepper (0 calories, full of chemicals) at 10:00 at night (the worst time to indulge in carbs).  After I came out of my 400-calorie carb coma, I not only still felt anxious, sad, and afraid, but I also felt bloated, guilty, and ill.  I felt guilty because I ate such crap and my body deserves better and I promised myself a four-pound weight loss this month.  I teach my clients to find alternative ways to deal with their emotions and, yet, here I was not being the super-human trainer I should be and instead acting human and feeling guilty for it.  I also felt guilty because it did absolutely nothing to change the state of my mom's health; it was a useless reaction.  If anything, it was detrimental to my health.

 Why am I telling you this?  To remind you and me that the solution to life’s problems cannot be found in the crunchy folds of chips or the icy slush of a frozen margarita.  Nor can they be found in the center of a snack cake or at the bottom of a glass of wine.  When you come back to reality, those problems will still be there and you will still feel the emotions that sent you looking for an escape in the first place. 

Find alternative ways to alleviate these emotions – call a friend, go for a walk, do a kick-ass workout, seek professional help.  You will not only feel better for it, but you will be able to be there for the people who depend on you.