"Don't let it get out in the weeds". These were instructions I heard yelled at me over the roar of the racing engine. Through some fortunate circumstances and the untimely illness of the scheduled driver, I found myself behind the wheel of an off-road race car at the tender age of 19.

Right before the start of the race, my race team manager yelled at me, "don't let it get out in the weeds". What he meant was keep the race car on the course, or at least close to the normal course. This advice seems pretty simple, until one considers the "course" is a poorly defined dirt road across untamed desert for 500 miles, and the speeds are often in excess of 100 m.p.h.

Getting off-course in desert racing leads to all kinds of problems. Hitting large rocks, running over things that puncture tires, getting sticks and debris stuck in the cooling system, rolling over or going end over end. Lots of things that are not consistent with returning in one piece.

'Don't let it get out in the weeds' is great advice to follow in life in Kennewick. If we can keep things going with only minor aberrations, then life goes pretty well:

1. Staying close to a budget with our finances makes life easy. Balancing spending with a consistent savings plan saves the pain of financial upsets or possible bankruptcy.
2. Staying in touch with our kids and family allows communication and understanding. When we lose touch by letting life get in the way, or letting disagreements turn into not talking to each other, this is when real problems develop.
3. With our health, keeping up with a regimen of good nutrition and modest physical activity allows our bodies the most opportunity to stay near peak performance. Only after many months or years of reckless eating and lack of physical activity do we find ourselves "in the weeds".

There are countless examples of why "don't let it get out in the weeds" is good advice. If we do find ourselves off-course and where we don't want to be, then it takes commitment and consistent effort to bring things back on course. We might be working on our finances, our relationships, our weight or our career. Getting back on-course often takes more time and sacrifice than we want to make, but it is always worth the effort.

In off-road racing, sometimes other competitors help get you back on-course. In life, we often need help as well. The support team at Dynamic Fat Loss is there to help get things back on-course.