The Health Spiral

Start that workout spiral ,and you'll be doing crazy yoga poses before you know it. Credit: lululemon athletica

Ever noticed how easy it is to get off track? Unfortunately, it’s also easy to stay off track. A missed workout here, extra desserts there and before you know it, you’re in a spiral of unhealthy proportions (and likely, portions).

The good news is that spirals go both ways when it comes to your health. During my pregnancy, workouts were all but eliminated due to pain. And I gave into cravings all too frequently. I still ate copious mounts of kale and broccoli and berries, but unfortunately I added in way too much banana bread and Oreos. While it’s easy to maintain the veggie intake, I find that its not as easy to curb the sweets.

But that spiral? Works to my advantage. Once I started working out again, it was natural to curb my less-than-healthy sweet treats. Sure, I still indulge, but it’s been a much more moderate indulgence rather than a twice-daily deal. Likewise, once you start those workouts back up, it’s easier to continue. I’ve found that you’ve gotta hit a solid two weeks of workouts to get back in a groove and make it a habit again. Because once you get those couple of weeks in, you start seeing progress, and you know results are just around the corner. You’re invested; you don’t want those first painful workouts to be for nothing!

Do you find the health spiral works both ways, too? —Erin