I started training a client the other day for the first time in over a month. 

The reason for his hiatus was because he was visiting family and he had also injured his back playing tennis. 

This guy somehow always finds a way to injure himself when we aren't training.

Anyway, I noticed he had gained about 5-10 pounds since I last saw him...

"I've been really bad." He said, looking guilty as h*ll.

"Really...How so?" I asked.

"Well, where do I begin?  I'm having issues with my work, my family and I just haven't been myself lately.  My mental focus sucks which is causing me to ditch my cardio, eat like crap and...your gonna hate this one...start to drink again." 

"What makes matters worse is my girlfriend doesn't hold me accountable and just tells me I'm beautiful and I look fine the way I am."

He then lifted up his shirt and said "Look at this fat belly, how can THIS be beautiful!"

I looked at him square in the eye and said "It's OK John...here's what you're gonna do."

"Your gonna start to do intense cardio again... everyday for 1 hour."

"Your gonna start to eat healthy again.  I want you to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables and lean meats...The starches (bread, pasta) are going to have to take a back seat.  The alcohol has to stop and I want you to be drinking water all day long."

"Also, for our strength training we're going to go back to bands and body weight calisthenics and also incorporate some aerobic conditioning as well."

...he paused for a moment.

"Alright, let's do it!"

Jim Coughlin has Weekly Emails on Motivation, Fitness, Health and Maximum Success for You! Jim's weekly tips will inspire you unlike ANYTHING you'll read on the internet today. And they're free. Sign up right now. Name Email

The next training session I saw him, I noticed he had done 2 HOURS the day after our previous workout session and his nutrition was impeccable...he was back!

Now, the reason I'm telling you this is because, everyone goes through slumps.  Time and again everyone experiences something that makes them stray from being healthy. 

These things happen. 

You may have been going through problems with your job, fighting with your family or anything that may be negative...These things do come up, BUT you should not let them control you!

To get out of your slump...be honest with yourself.

I know some of you may not have a personal trainer to keep you accountable, but that matters not. 

You may not be an expert, but you know how to exercise.  You know how to eat healthy.  The information for this stuff is available anytime you want it. 

If you're in John's position, get out a piece of paper and spend 10-15 minutes writing down things you want to change about yourself. 

Be specific as possible.  Here, I'll even get you started.

I want to have...
I want to look...
I want to feel...
I want to be...

YOU know what you want.  No one else in this world knows yourself better than you.

Once you're done...take action and make a plan to do it.

Congratulations!  You're officially out of your slump.  Until next time train hard and train smart.

Jim Coughlin is a personal trainer and the owner of Coughlin Fitness & Results, a nationwide personal training company. He is also the author of The In-Home Personal Trainer, a helpful guide to successful in-home personal training in addition to other products and many other popular fitness articles.

Jim is very passionate at motivating people to empower themselves to live a healthy lifestyle through consistent exercise and proper nutrition. He has free weekly success tips which you are welcome to subscribe to on his website http://www.fitnessandresults.com