Functioning Out of Structure and Not Emotion

Hello!
Well... in under 24 hours my kids will be out of school for the summer. How the heck did this school year go by so quickly? The past 3 weeks have been full of kids events, ceremonies, concerts, games, lunches and special this and special that. I feel like they have owned my calendar for the last month... but truth is in 24 hours they all fully be taking control of my life!
Yikes.

I have spoken to several of you that have shared frustration about how on the weekend, when you are with your kids you struggle staying on program and this has brought up concern of how can you stay strong during the summer when they are with you EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Friends, whether you are dealing with stress at home or work, a new schedule, vacation or whatever is going on, I want to encourage you to dive deep into yourselves and make the decision to function out of structure and not emotion. Some of us are wired in a way that this is easy to do... and others not so much. So let's simply review the difference between structure and emotion.

Defined in the dictionary we find:

struc·ture

ˈstrək(t)SHər/

noun

1. 1. 

   the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex.

verb

1. 1. 

   construct or arrange according to a plan; give a pattern or organization to.

e·mo·tion

əˈmōSH(ə)n/

noun

1. a natural instinctive state of mind deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others.

   
   

Structure is based on a plan whereas Emotion is based on a circumstance.
Structure is based on a organization whereas Emotion is based on a mood.
Structure starts with the letter S whereas Emotion starts with the letter E. (Okay - that's a ridiculous statement, but my point is that these are two totally different ways to function... they look nothing alike.

On days where we have kids activities in our schedules, or where we know that we will be out and about or we are on vacation or life is really hard... it IS possible to function out of structure. BUT - and this is a huge but - it requires the decision to choose structure.

I want to encourage you to decide to choose to take 2 minutes and pull out your fuelings at the beginning of your day and decide from early in the morning what your eating plan will look like for the day.  (Or if you are in maintenance go to the fridge and be prepared.)

I want to encourage you to choose to go to restaurants that offers healthy (on plan) choices and decide that it is a good idea for your kids eat healthy too.

I want to encourage you to make a shopping list when you go to the store and decide before you walk into the store that you will not put your trigger food in the cart.
*Of all the 4th of July goals that I have heard so far, my favorite is that someone has committed to: "NO MORE CHIPS. They will not even get in my cart!" I LOVE THIS!

This is structure friends.
Structure says that no matter how you "feel" you will stay true to your goals.
Structure says that even if you "want" something you will stick to your plan.
And I will admit that structure is...
easier said than done.
But is is possible.

So lets do this together. Let's decide to be committed to structure. We have been working hard to find health... and momentary emotions cannot through us off track.

Decide what structure needs to look like for your life & do it!
You and I both know its possible!