I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was great. Filled with family, friends, and fun. And a little rest to recharge your batteries. We all have a lot to be thankful for.

Did you achieve your nutrition and fitness goals? If you did, congratulations. That’s great! If you didn’t, it’s not the end of the world but the clock is ticking. So I would strongly suggest that you reflect back to learn what happened, and what you could’ve done different.

Why? Well, we’ve got a couple more big holidays coming at us this month. And you need to get this right.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go according to plan. I am not here to cover up repeated failed attempts with excuses. Or justify obvious neglect or laziness with a forgiving pass. We are each accountable to ourselves, at a minimum. Responsibility rules!

You do have a plan, right? This reminds me of the 5 + 2 = 0 concept I learned from Tom Venuto. Let me explain.

So you work hard all week. You maintain great discipline by eating clean, backed by intense training and getting enough sleep Monday through Friday. But when the weekend rolls around, you derail your week-long efforts unconsciously with a night or two of eating poorly, drinking excessively, and sacrificing sleep. And to go from bad to worse, you probably blew off your weekend workouts too.

I’m not suggesting that you’re not allowed to have fun. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Just keep in mind that a little moderation and some better choices could go a long way here to preserve and maximize the results you achieved all week.

So how do we maintain momentum and ensure that 5 + 2 = 7; not zero? It starts with a conscious focus on your goals and knowing WHY. Why is this goal important to you? How great will it feel to achieve it? Or what’s it gonna cost if you don’t?

Willpower and motivation fade over time. They also check out when the going gets tough, as it always does when you’re striving for something worthwhile. So remind yourself of the reasons this goal is important – to you. It will also help to include the weekend in your plans and routine. Otherwise you’re more likely to make choices you would normally scoff at.

You’ve heard of the carrot and stick as another form of motivation? Lately I find that “the stick” has more meaning to me. But this seems counter intuitive. Like I’m trying to right a wrong. I’d prefer to get back to “the carrot” as my motivator, but it appears to be working in this season of my life, so I’m going with it.

How about you? Can you relate to the 5 + 2 equation? What motivates you more, the carrot or the stick?

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