It feels so good to get that off my chest.  It’s like a weight has been lifted.  After all, I’m writing a blog for eFitnessbuzz which is all about fitness, exercise, motivation and healthy eating.  I rarely miss a workout, so how could I go on eating dessert every single day.  Simple. In moderation, you have to reward yourself in order to harness your motivation to reach your ultimate goal.

Picture it this way – let’s say you want to save up for a nice plasma TV.  You figure it will drop you back about $2,000, so you decide to save about $300 per month so you can get this in a little over 6 months. There are many ways I’m sure you can think of to get on a savings plan to reach your goal.  But let’s pick two that are almost as opposite as can be.

The first is hard nose, no excuses, just do it plan.  You decide to revamp all your spending habits.  There will be no eating out for 6 months and you will buy all your food at a discount superstore.  No shopping for clothes in this 6 month time span as what you have in your closet for now will do.  Entertainment expenses will be cut to zero. We’ll also be dropping to basic cable, canceling our landline phone, opening windows and keeping the A/C off, and anything that breaks will be fixed with duct tape.

Then we have the short-term stimulus plan which consists of finding a Part-Time job close to home.  You just want to work an extra 10-12 hours a week to make about $100 per week after taxes. It’s going to be tough carving out this extra time in your schedule, but you figure you will put $300 away each month for your TV, and then use any extra for a special meal out with your wife, or to take the kids to a movie.  Maybe you’ll even buy some accessories for the TV now so you can enjoy some purchases while you wait.

I think both plans will work.  Which would you rather follow?  Don’t get me wrong, I know there are many people who follow a very strict and rigorous fitness plan. I do the same thing when I’m training for a race or competition. But during a standard week, a little cup of pudding with a sprinkle of dark chocolate chips and raisins hits the spot after a grueling day – both physically and mentally. Being committed and sticking to a plan is hard work. Many people fail if not motivated to continue.  That’s why I choose to have my cake and eat it too.