You’ve been crushing your workouts, making those green smoothies, and getting 8 hours of sleep every night. But slowly, you start to miss a workout here and there and find yourself eating dessert with every meal. Next thing you know, you’ve completely fallen off your exercise and healthy eating wagon.
If this scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Busy schedules, competing priorities, and just life in general can creep into our best intentions. But never fear; just because you’ve slipped off your wellness regimen doesn’t mean you can’t get back on!
Keep reading for 5 strategies to get you back on the exercise and healthy eating wagon.
- Be kind to yourself. This might be the most important strategy to remember. Many people find themselves throwing in the towel when they slip up because they feel they’ve “blown it” and there’s no going back. But rather than berate yourself, focus your energy on getting back on track. Remember, this is part of your journey; moments like this can provide valuable lessons to help you move forward. So give yourself a break and take note of these next four tips!
- Remind yourself of your “why.” Think back to what triggered your wellness journey in the first place. Perhaps it was more energy to play with your kids, lose weight, or run a marathon. Remembering and refocusing on your “why” can be a powerful incentive to return to exercise and healthy eating. Consider using tools such as visualization exercises or placing motivational sayings around your home to keep you going.
- Examine why you got off course. It may be difficult to face what feels like a failure, but recognizing why you fell off the wagon can help prevent it from happening again. Did you overeat because you were feeling sad or upset? Or perhaps other tasks keep taking priority over your workouts. Being aware of the reasons can allow you to develop solutions to overcome them, such as finding a way to comfort yourself that doesn’t involve food or scheduling workouts.
- Change one small habit. Going gung-ho to get back on the bandwagon with a vegan diet and 5 am workouts may seem like a good idea, but that can be overwhelming and difficult to sustain. Rather than changing everything all at once, try making small changes here and there. You can start by adding workouts back into your routine every other day or consider eating your favorite snack once a week instead of every day. Whatever you decide to adjust, stick with it, and before you know it, you’ll be fully back on your exercise and healthy eating wagon.
- Seek support. We may be biased, but we think personal trainers and nutrition coaches are game changers no matter where you are on your wellness journey. Investing in a trainer or coach can be the ideal track to sustainable success, and being accountable to someone can help keep you on the wagon moving forward. Consider joining a gym, a yoga studio, or a neighborhood walking group – really, any scenario where you’re surrounded by like-minded people with similar goals will help you maintain and crush your wellness goals.
Get Back on the Horse
If you’ve found yourself falling off the exercise and healthy eating wagon, remember that it doesn’t mean you should permanently throw in the towel. You don’t have to be a full-time fitness guru or work out 8 hours a day to stay healthy. Just lace up those sneakers, shop for that kale, and remember the above strategies to get back on track.
And if you’d like to explore the accountability and expertise you can gain from working with a fitness and nutrition coach, let’s chat! We have a team of certified trainers and coaches ready to meet you wherever you are on your journey.
