We’ve all been there. You may be on a roll with your newest health habit. Then something happens and you get off track. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult! Balancing a healthy diet, finding time for fitness, and taking care of your mental health are all challenging. But when life throws you a curveball and you fall of track, it’s important to recognize what’s going on and take steps to get back to where you were. You’re worth it!
How to Get Back on Track
Decide What Has Derailed You.
What happened that made you fall off track? It’s important to know this so that you can work on a solution. Maybe it’s a job change which makes it hard to make a healthy evening meal. Is it an injury that has caused you to struggle with exercise? Identifying the problem is step one.
Come up with Possible Solutions.
When a wrench is thrown into your plans, come up with several solutions. Many days, you may need more than one to ensure you stay on track. For example, if an injury has limited your ability to exercise, find other ways to get physical activity in. A list including seated aerobics, water exercise, and yoga can give you multiple options. If you struggle with cooking dinner, consider meal prepping ahead, choosing leftovers, or researching healthy take out.
Execute.
It’s time to make it happen. Get back on the saddle and try again! There are bumps in the road with every change. Getting right back in the game is what makes the biggest difference. Choose one of your solutions and give it a try. Missing a day or week is not the problem. Focus on getting back and being consistent for long-term success.
Don’t Expect to be Perfect.
Getting back on track can be hard, and it may not work perfectly in the beginning. Instead of focusing on being perfect, focus on what you do right and go from there. For example, if you are working on improving your mental health, and you find some time to journal three days this week when your goal was five, focus on what you did complete and praise yourself for that.
Build on Success.
As you begin to get back on track, slowly build on where you are. If you are consistently exercising three days per week, make a new goal of exercising four. Slowly building and improving will help you have long-term success. Get rid of the all-or-nothing mindset and grow to where you want to be.
Expect More Setbacks.
Life is hard and there are many factors that can cause you to fall off track. Expect it and find creative ways to get back on track when you fall off. As you continue over time, you will get better and better at adjusting to change.
Celebrate!
Improving your health and changing your behavior is hard! Be proud of where you are and celebrate your successes each day. Your health and wellbeing is invaluable, and taking time to celebrate along your journey is essential.
For more support with getting back on track after experiencing setbacks, try these tips.
