Too often our food consumption is based solely on our mood and/or attitude. We might have good intentions of eating well all the time or this week or just for today – taking it one day at a time but then something happens that alters our mood and changes our attitude and we slip.

I eat healthy 99% of the time and I set good intentions every day but I, like everyone else, don’t always follow through. We slip up because we get frustrated with someone or something at home or work, or even by a complete stranger, a bad commute and many other positive attitude corrupters.

Slipping up on your intentions to eat healthy or exercise has no limits; it will occur in ways that might seem healthy but aren’t such as you choose healthy food options but your portion sizes are over the top like eating the entire pan of stir-fry or the whole bunch of bananas, (okay, that might be a far stretch, who can eat that many bananas?!) but you get the idea.

We let our moods be affected by things not going our way or by letting someone else’s frustrations become ours too. When we do slip up, our mood gets worse and we develop an attitude; it become a vicious cycle that leaves us whirling out of control.

What’s the difference between mood and attitude? Your mood is your state of feeling, your emotional tone or frame of mind. Your attitude is your manner, tendency, orientation or disposition. I like to refer to our attitude as our disposition because it’s a strong descriptive; ‘dis’ = absence of, position – usual or proper place leaving us with absence of our usual position or proper place.

Have you ever found yourself in either a bad mood or a sullen mood and when it comes time to eat or exercise you listen to that negative self-talk telling you that it’s okay to have this food or more food or skip exercise today as though it were positive? Do you find yourself justifying your actions by assigning excuses due to a bad day? If so, it’s time to take control, change your mood and attitude yourself; don’t let others do it for you.

When we’re fully committed to something that we truly want we don’t let anyone sway our decision, we stand tall and follow through, Let that same attitude carry you through your personal wellness journey as well. Don’t let go of your self-control, we all have it; we just don’t use it enough; when you do use it you will find yourself on the good-mood road to success.

Set your intentions, stick with them no matter who or what tries to derail you, remind yourself of why you set them in the first place, always stand tall in your intentions, desires and beliefs.