Have you ever felt like life was throwing lemons at you from every direction?
I remember a season when I felt like someone was pulling a nasty April Fool’s Day trick on me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a joke.
First, my sister landed in the ER after experiencing severe complications from a surgical procedure. I had to fly to New Jersey immediately to help her. After about a week of braving the Polar Vortex and helping care for my sister around the clock, I was ready to come home.
But the weather had other plans.
Several flights were canceled, and my trip home was delayed by several days. When I finally made it back, a nasty stomach bug swept through our house. My family was dropping like flies—including me!
Thankfully, everyone is doing great now. My sister fully recovered, and my family is back to being as healthy as can be.
I’m incredibly grateful to be on the other side of that difficult season. But, as with so many challenges in life, I learned a few things along the way.
Sometimes, Life Just Gets Hard
We’ve all heard the advice:
- Make the most of every situation.
- Don’t complain—someone else has it worse.
- Maintain a positive attitude.
And while those things can be helpful, can we agree that when life gets tough, it just isn’t easy?
I remember waking up one morning in New Jersey at my sister’s apartment. I didn’t have much of what I needed, and the weather outside was so awful that driving anywhere felt like a dangerous chore.
All of a sudden, I felt myself getting angry.
Not just a little irritated. I mean the kind of angry where you feel like you’re angry at the entire world.
The funny part was, I didn’t even know who I was angry at!
My sister was the one lying in a hospital bed, doing her best to stay positive. And there I was, frustrated by snow and ice.
That moment reminded me of something important: Life can get the best of us if we let it.
We will all have difficult days. Unexpected circumstances will interrupt our plans. And sometimes, the very things we’re trying to accomplish—like taking care of our health—will become harder than we expected.
But even in those situations, there are lessons to be learned and opportunities to keep moving forward.
The Problem With Waiting for Perfect
For me, one of the greatest lessons from that season was this:
Life is not perfect. Never has been. Never will be.
I used to be the kind of person who needed everything to be just right before starting anything.
- My desk had to be perfect before I could write.
- My food had to be perfectly prepared before I could eat healthy.
- My kids had to be in just the right mood before I could teach them.
I felt like I couldn’t accomplish anything unless the environment, time, and circumstances were exactly right.
But that kind of thinking often kept me from moving forward on the things I really wanted to do.
It also played a role in my own weight-loss journey.
I spent so much time analyzing exactly what I was going to do and trying to make every part of my healthy eating plan absolutely perfect that I became paralyzed.
I was so busy trying to create the perfect plan that I wasn’t doing anything at all.
There’s even a term for it: paralysis by analysis.
And I see this happen to people all the time.
They want to make healthier choices, but they keep waiting for life to settle down.
"Once my kids start school, I can start eating healthier."
"Once these exams are over, I can focus more on myself and my weight."
"Once my travel schedule gets a little lighter, then I can start exercising."
I understand it. Sometimes life really does make our healthy efforts more challenging.
But here’s the truth: Life will always have something going on.
So if we wait for everything to be perfect, we may never get started.
Three Questions to Ask When Life Gets in the Way
During my time in New Jersey, I had to find ways to keep moving forward even when my circumstances weren’t ideal.
Over time, I developed three questions that helped me—and I still use them today.
1. What Could Be Good About This Situation?
At first, this question can be difficult to answer.
When you’re dealing with a family emergency, a canceled flight, or a house full of sick people, it may feel like there’s nothing good about the situation.
But if you’re willing to look, there is often something.
During my time at the hospital, I went on a mission to find the healthiest food options available. I discovered that the cafeteria had a pretty clean salad bar and a delicious roasted chicken option.
I took pictures of the foods I found and shared them with my family, friends, and followers on Facebook and Instagram.
What could have been just a difficult day became an opportunity to help thousands of people learn how to make healthier choices—even when they’re away from home.
The situation wasn’t ideal. But there was still something good I could do with it.
2. What Is the Lesson in This?
This question can be challenging, too.
When you’re exhausted and caring for a sick child, you may not immediately feel like searching for a life lesson.
During one particularly difficult day, I stayed close to my son Marcos’s side. We read books, watched movies, and I did my best to make him laugh.
I hated that we were all sick. But as the day went on, I realized something:
I don’t need to wait until my children or I are sick to make time for moments like these.
Those quiet hours together ended up being some of our best times.
I promised myself that it wouldn’t take an illness sweeping through our house for me to slow down, put aside my busy schedule, and simply be with my children.
Sometimes, the lesson is that we need to appreciate what matters most—and make room for it before life forces us to.
3. What Is One Small Thing I Can Do to Keep Moving Forward?
This question was especially helpful when I was in New Jersey.
My exercise plans kept getting derailed. Between caring for my sister, the weather, and everything else going on, finding time for a traditional workout was difficult.
So I changed my approach.
I wrote three exercises on a small index card:
- Squats — 3 sets of 10
- Pushups — 3 sets of 10
- Planks — 3 sets of 1-minute holds
My goal was simply to complete those exercises at some point during the day.
If I found a free moment, I would do a set of squats. Later, I might do some pushups. Eventually, I’d fit in the planks.
It took me all day to finish—but I did it.
Was I going to win a fitness competition with that routine? Nope!
But that wasn’t my goal.
My goal was to maintain a healthy, strong body, even when life made it a little challenging to do so.
And that’s an important distinction.
You don’t have to do everything perfectly to keep making progress.
You Can Start Right Where You Are
Maybe your life isn’t quite what you planned right now.
Maybe your schedule is packed. Maybe your children need extra attention. Maybe you’re traveling, caring for a family member, or simply dealing with a season that feels overwhelming.
That doesn’t mean you have to put your health on hold.
Instead of asking, "When will life finally be perfect?" try asking:
What could be good about this situation?
What is the lesson in this?
What is one small thing I can do to keep moving forward?
You may not be able to follow your ideal eating plan today. You may not have time for your usual workout. You may need to adjust your expectations.
That’s okay.
A healthy lifestyle isn’t built by having perfect days. It’s built by learning how to care for yourself in the middle of real life.
And if you need a little help getting started, that’s exactly what I want to help you do through the Food Meets Faith program. You don’t need to wait for the perfect season, the perfect schedule, or the perfect plan.
You can begin right where you are.
Because life is not perfect. Never has been. Never will be.
So we might as well learn how to live our healthy lives anyway!
Ready to live your best, healthy life? -> Click HERE to start your Food Meets Faith journey today