As part of my one to one work with clients, I often find myself involved in a type of conversation that goes something like this:

Me: "So Mary, how have you found making those changes this week?"

Mary "Well Lucy, things were going great. I was getting on fine but then my cat got sick, my grandmother turned 80 so we had a big celebration, our local supermarket burnt down, I sprained my left knee, my child needed some extra support with homework in the evenings, my car broke down, and I had to work an 80 hour week due to year end... So I haven't quite got round to those changes yet"

Sometimes, when we decide to make changes, we feel the whole world will change with us. The universe will respond and life will be kind enough to be supportive our new habits.

But, often, this is not the case. Irrespective of our desire to create a better future for ourselves, life will continue to throw its punches and many challenges in our way.

Real and lasting changes are not necessarily the ones we promise will start on Monday, nor the ones that we create on a week's yoga retreat in the Canaries, or even the ones we get after a health scare.

The changes that last are the ones that move through life with us. They are adaptable, they are measured and, most of all, we believe in them - we believe that they make us feel better and life sweeter.

For me, making changes in health and lifestyle are not about creating the perfect life and fighting endlessly to keep it.

Its about life happening, falling off the wagon and losing our way. Yet, in all that, arming ourselves with the resources and recognising that we have the conscious choice to decide to get back on our path, irrespective of what life throws our way.

Are you getting back up after you've been thrown off?