Having a plan B is one of my favorite positive mindset tricks. It’s fairly self-explanatory. It’s helpful to have a back-up if a plan falls through.
Having a plan B means you have considered alternatives or a back-up and, more importantly, it means you have prepared yourself to eat healthy and do your workout no matter what. No self-discussion. No excuses.
You can’t talk yourself out of eating the healthy option or skipping the gym because Plan B is the answer to whatever you’re telling yourself. It’s pretty close to the cognitive therapy techniques of challenging thoughts and re-framing.
It’s also a way to avoid decision fatigue. You’ve already decided and created the contingency plan. No fuss no muss.
All it takes is asking yourself, “what will I do if I can’t do/have x?” and making room for plan B to happen. My frequently used plan B is going to the 5pm spin class that day if I can’t make my regular 8:30am class.
My other favorite plan B is taking a piece of fruit, a baggie of carrots, or some other healthy snack to supplement a restaurant meal if I am not choosing the place. Some eateries do not have a lot good options. I’m less apt to abuse the bread basket or indulge in food that doesn’t agree with my needs.
It’s annoyingly true that failure to plan is planning to fail. All I can add to it is that it hurts to land on your ass when you don’t have a fallback. See if you can think of one before the next time you’re in a situation where your consistency is going to be shaky.