How to Get Back On Track With Healthy Habits
Are you looking to get back on track with your healthy habits? Has life gotten in the way and completely derailed your progress? You’re not alone!
Life happens; it’s inevitable. There will always be times when you’re on your A-game. And then there are times when life just gets in the way. Work is busy, kids have after-school commitments, you’ve been traveling for work and then the holidays roll around! It’s super easy to get out of routine. But it’s never too late to get back on track. Here is my list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to resetting and getting back on track.
Don’t set unrealistic goals
Don’t set unrealistic goals that will ultimately lead to failure. If you know your life is chaotic and you have a million things planned on your calendar, now is not the time to start a new diet, a new workout routine, and a plan to lose 10 pounds in 2 months! That’s a recipe for disaster that will leave you defeated and discouraged!
Do set intentional SMART goals
To get back on track with your healthy habits, you have to be intentional. Take the time to examine your life right here and now at this moment. Look at your calendar and be honest about what you can commit to now. Maybe it’s not what you did before, but it’s something. It can be as small as walking more or starting a food journal to better understand your eating habits. If you want to learn how to set intentional goals, check out my blog: How to Stay Consistent and Achieve Your Goals This Year
Don’t procrastinate
So many people develop an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to health and fitness. If they can’t start at perfection, they don’t start at all. But if you never start, how will you get back on track?
Do start where you are
Get back into as many of your healthy habits as you can commit to right now. And by this moment, I mean today! Don’t wait until next Monday or next month. Again, it’s about doing something! The longer you stay out of routine, the harder it is to get back on track. Maybe you don’t have the time to commit to what you previously did, but you can do something. For example, perhaps you can’t commit to going to the gym, but you can work out for 20 minutes at home before work. Or maybe you don’t have the time to prepare all of your meals on the weekend but you can pack a healthy lunch and set aside a few snacks to take to work with you.
Don’t restrict calories
Don’t restrict calories to make up for periods of indulgence or overeating. We’ve all been there, had a weekend of overeating and alcohol, and your first instinct is to eat less the next day or say, “I’m just going to juice today.” Don’t! Eating less the next day will make you hungrier and more likely to overeat again. Plus, life is meant to be lived and enjoyed, and by punishing yourself, you’re equating making healthy choices with punishment and deprivation.
Do choose healthier options
Get back to eating regularly scheduled and planned meals. Have protein and fiber in the form of fruit, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates at every meal. Drink plenty of water.
Don’t go overboard with exercise
Don’t punish yourself by overexercising to compensate for periods of indulgence or missed workouts. We’ve all been there, feeling like we need to go all in to make up for lost time or to get the results we want faster.
Do start slow
Stay active no matter what that looks like. It could be taking daily walks for 15 minutes after lunch. If you usually exercise regularly, follow your normal workout routine. It’s the same concept as food. By overexercising after a night of overeating, a weekend of indulgence, or a period of inactivity, you’ll begin to see exercise as punishment, and that’s not what we want.
Don’t beat yourself up!
Give yourself grace and realize healthy living is a lifestyle. There will be periods when things fall in place and times when you have to make adjustments. But you do have to take action. It gets too easy to do nothing, making it harder to get back on track! Enjoy life and find ways to be your healthiest self, whatever that may look like.
Remember Life Happens!
Life happens. But it’s never too late to get back on track with your healthy habits. If you need assistance, click here to download my free 10-day reset challenge!
