The cafeteria at my office has some typical fare that I don't get very excited about - meatloaf, chicken fingers, fries. Some of their specials are downright gross - ginger beef, beef stew... anything involving beef, really. But some of them get me really excited.

Mushroom soup is one of those items.

When mushroom soup is the soup of the day, I HAVE to get it, and I have to get it early.

Just now I wandered down to toward the cafeteria on my way out to the parking lot. I was going to my car to get my gym bag, so as to partake in our noon hour Pilates class. On the way past the cafeteria, I saw the Mushroom Soup sign. Oooooh yeah.

I got myself a bowl of soup, a side salad from the salad bar, and - what the heck - a couple of cookies. I'm eating lunch at my desk right now, and will be skipping Pilates class, simply because it starts at noon, and I won't have digested well enough by then to attempt a hard and twisty core workout. This is not an excuse, it's actually a contraindication to do Pilates or yoga right after you've eaten - the movements in these classes can hamper digestion, and the digestive process can hamper the effects of the class. Who am I to argue with a contraindication?

Instead, after I'm done eating, I'll go outside in the beautiful sunny weather and go for a walk . Get a bit of sun on my very pasty arms and face.

Mushroom soup derailed my Pilates plan, but I'm looking forward to a delicious lunch, followed by a nice walk and then, later, some scrumtious cookies as a treat.

From a diet and fitness perspective, I made the 100% wrong choice. The diet and fitness person would never eat cream of mushroom soup, let alone use it to replace a planned workout. And cookies? Please.

I was this diet/fitness freak once. I know how easy it would hav been to pass up my favourite soup and continue on with my workout. But this choice made me happy. It was a spontaneous last-minute change of plans that went against my original fitness-oriented regmine.

I think it's important to show yourself a little love from time to time, rather than continually existing  in the Punishment/Reward loop of diet and fitness. Glee, treats, indulgences and happy choices are all important parts of my Wellness Shift.

How about you?

This loaded question was posted on one of the group fitness message boards I participate in - a forum frequented by fitness instructors like me.

The question asked, "Do you ever get sick of it? Of having to be the one up on-stage, motivating other people toward fitness? Do you ever wish you could just give it up for a while and be on the other side of the microphone?"

I only got as far as "Do you ever get sick of it?" The rest of it didn't speak to me. I don't have much desire to attend fitness classes taught by other people because I'd be inclined to judge the songs they've chosen, their music volume, the way they coach things... No sir, I have no burning desire to be a fitness class participant. If I have to go to a fitness class, I'd prefer to be the instructor - I get to choose all the songs I love, make it as loud as I like and get a much harder workout than I would if I were on the floor.

But, do I ever get sick of it? Yes, yes, a hundred times yes.

I've been teaching fitness classes since I was about 18 or 19 years old - almost 15 years. I love it because I get to motivate people, etc. etc.

But every now and then I think, How nice would it be to just go home after work and not have to race around to be somewhere. How awesome would it be to be able to make social plans for, say, a Tuesday evening without adding the disclaimer "...but I teach until 8pm, and then would need to run home and shower, so... I'll meet you at the restaurant for 9:30?" Who eats dinner at 9:30? I do. And I have for nearly 15 years.

I get jealous when I hear people talking about going to that cute antique shop after work, or that awesome one-night-only secret sample sale, or getting together for a quick after-work drink - things I can't do because I HAVE TO go to the gym every  night.

And don't get me started on the weekends. While I have always loved being a "weekend warrior" type exerciser who puts in more than a few hours at the gym on Saturdays and Sundays, it would be super awesome to have the opportunity to opt out if the mood struck me. I can't really go out and get rowdy on Friday or Saturday nights because I have to be up early to teach two ungodly difficult hours of classes on both Saturday and Sunday morning.  After I've finished teaching, I have to eat copious amounts of food and shower, and by the time I get to the relaxing or errand-running part of my weekend day, it's already 2pm. Even if I plan ahead to take a weekend day off so I can go out to the mountains for a hike or go camping or just chill out (as people tend to do on weekends), it's virtually impossible to find subs to cover my classes... BECAUSE - OH YEAH - IT'S THE WEEKEND.

I love to move, I love to exercise, I love teaching and I love being a wellness role model. I do. I do I do I do. But secretly? Sometimes I'd love to NOT be.

It's not healthy when you start to resent the time you spend in the gym.


So, what are you going to do if or when your body or mind revolts against your wellness regimine? It's worth it to work out a plan of attack, to start thinking of ways to refresh and reinvigorate yourself when you get burned out, It can mean the difference between sticking with your habit or abandoning it altogether.

Share your thoughts in the comments, or at erin@thewellnessshift.com