In life you will encounter all sorts of setbacks, it’s par for the course. You’ll make plans, set them in motion, then reality will come over and hit you hard. That’s life.

Training is no exception to this rule. You’ll be working on some great gains, making progress on that weight loss plan you set out, then boom, an injury. Maybe it won’t be as serious as that, maybe it’s just a period where you overeat and derail your goals. The holidays are a perfect example of that type of scenario. I packed on quite a few pounds over the holidays, as much as I said I wouldn’t, I did.

So what can you do when that happens? It’s simple, and there really is no other way to handle it than what I’m about to share. What is it? It’s not rocket science. You just pick up the pieces and keep going. It’s as simple as that. You messed up? Gained some weight, got hurt, whatever. Okay, deal with whatever is present, then carry on. If you can’t train, focus on your eating. One way or another, you can keep moving forward. There really is no choice, otherwise you’ll just continue to regress, and no one wants that.

The way I’ve put this into action is by simply doing it. My eating had been bad over the holidays, but I’d still been training fairly consistently, especially since I teach. For me, getting back on track meant going to the supermarket, picking up healthy food, preparing it, then eating it. As far as training, I just kept doing what I had been doing. Now, all I have to do is give some time to time and let my work do its thing.

Look, the only way to handle training setbacks, or setbacks in general, is to get up, dust yourself off, and keep on going. I know I’m not saying something you haven’t heard before, but sometimes we just need a reminder. Keep on trucking!