It's taken a few years for me to not want the treats and goodies like I used to, and to not feel as though I'm missing out on something if I don't eat them. The first day as I was handing out treats on the trail, I actually had to remind myself that I had bought my favorites (gummy worms and caramel M&Ms) for me too. Even then, I had a couple of worms and didn't want more. It's incredible how powerful our minds are. If you really focus on changing your mindset about something, it will happen and you will look back one day and realize that you put zero effort into those thoughts because they've become habit. It's so awesome!

The next mental hurdle was feeling like a big blob after not having worked out in a day or two. We only hiked in about 4 miles, so it didn't exhaust us the way a good cycle class or HIIT workout do. After a few days of not getting my heart rate up or feeling my muscles fatigue, I felt like a big blob. My husband mentioned feeling the same way and we had a good talk about how important it is to really take a break. Your muscles need time to completely recover and, although we do have rest days, sometimes that's not enough. Plus, it does wonders for your motivation when you get back to your routine!

So between the lack of nutrition in our MRE meals, extra treats and no workouts, we were battling our minds big time. Here's another way of explaining it: it's similar to the boost in confidence you feel after you've chosen to exercise or chosen a healthy meal over a less healthy one. It's important to understand that, in the same way that 3 days of no exercise or salads don't cause me or my husband to loose all of our muscle and get squishy, 3 days of working out and eating well will not cause someone else to loose 10 lbs or suddenly look different. It's important to tune into your thoughts as you make choices about your health, and allow yourself to be more logical and less emotional about it. If you miss a day or 3 at the gym, don't allow the negative thoughts to overpower what you know to be true. You're not getting fat, loosing all of your muscle or "never going to loose weight", because of those 3 days. 

Our trips are so much more than this, they are full of fun memories and boding with our kids. This was just something that we observed this year and found interesting. The beauty of a trip like ours, is you have the time and the quiet to really tune into your own thoughts. We are surrounded by noise and chaos everyday, making it hard to hear yourself think. Taking some time off the grid and away from the noise creates ample time to get clear on what is really going on between your ears and allows you to determine which thoughts you want to allow to remain there. Protecting your mindset is the most important thing you can do for your health. A positive and clear mindset will make or break your ability to reach your goals. So pack a bag and start hiking!