No one's fitness journey is a straight journey. But what do you do when you've completely fallen off track? Most people think it's starting from day one again or they completely give up as they've lost motivation all together. This blog post is going to cover and help you with:
Getting back on your journey and why not to panic
Finding your mojo in the gym again and not giving up
Tips and ticks on how to stay on course
Do you find it difficult to say on track in the Summer?
Yes, I find it so challenging!
No, I've got my eyes on the prize
Step One: Do not panic
Okay so you've took your progress pictures, measured yourself, your clothes are feeling a bit too tight again and you may have gained a little bit of body fat, do not panic.
The first step is acknowledging that you may have strayed off your plan and fitness journey a little bit or a lot. Try not to panic, you were doing so well the first time and you'll do it again - trust me, you will do it.
Make a note on where you think you may have fell off track. Was it not calorie tracking? Have you been missing gym sessions? In a notepad or your notes app in your phone I'd jot down the following:
What happened: So this is what exactly makes you feel like you've fell off plan? This helps establish the problem and you can communicate this with your fitness coach. Is it that your body fat has increased? Have you not been attending gym sessions?
When do you feel like you went off track: this could be from attending your friends BBQ over the Summer to snacking at 11am - make a note of it. Again, this is helping establish the problem.
How are we going to solve it: You've highlighted the issue so you're going to make small action points on what to do to resolve the problems. Actions could be that you're going to get back on your diet first thing or that you're going to add more protein to your meals or it could even be something like 'I'm going to get my 10k steps in everyday'
The above points don't need to be huge essays, as long as you're acknowledging where you may have slipped up and how you're going to fix it is all you need.
Step Two: getting your focus back and not giving up
Now that you've acknowledged the problem it's time to get back on focus. It can be easy to give up, but if you were looking for the easy way out you wouldn't be this far down in my blog post, right?
As good as as my persuasive skills are, unfortunately the only person who you can rely on to get yourself back in the game is yourself. But I can help you out by giving you some quick wins on how to get back on.track with your diet and plan.
Cancel or reduce your social events that may risk you falling back off track: if going out for after work drinks or going out for lunch with friends is what made you go off plan then I'd suggest postponing any upcoming events or rearranging them for another time. You might be thinking 'one drink won't do any harm' and it might not, but if you really want to get back on track you should limit risks that could make you fall off track - better safe than sorry so they say!
Incorporate your fitness regime into upcoming dates in your calendar: if there's absolutely no way you can get out of that Summer wedding (I mean it got pushed back two years what's one more, right? Oh she's your best friend...okay you can't get out of it then) try and fit workouts in alongside these social events. A workout is only 45-60 minutes so try and find. gym nearby the wedding venue/hotel or wherever you may be staying. If not, you can always find some great YouTube workouts and take a resistance band for a quick hotel workout.
Plan ahead for the week: It sounds really simple, but write down your meals and workouts for the week on a Sunday night. This way you're getting prepped ahead for the week and fitting your meals and workouts into your routine - not the other way round. You can plan your meals in advance and this will prevent you from making last minute decisions at meal times.
Go easy on yourself: if you're heading back into a routine of going to the gym then make sure you're not rushing into it. Make sure you're easing yourself back into heavy lifting to prevent injury and try not compare your performance on your first few sessions back at the gym to what you were doing a few weeks before you fell off track. You will get back to it, don't worry.
Try changing gyms: it could be that the gym you're visiting is too busy or too limited which makes you unmotivated to go. If you are wanting to visit the gym after work then try to book a tour at a gym to see how busy it is before you commit to changing gyms. Other reasons you may want to switch gyms is lack of equipment, cleanliness or even that you're bored of it and need a change of scenery - you're entitled to make a switch!
Communicate and be honest with your fitness coach: keep in touch with your trainer and try to raise any issues with them sooner rather than later. You don’t have to tell them that you stubbed your toe on the leg press machine but you should be raising issues such as certain exercises you hate or can’t perform well or a workout might not feel challenging or too challenging.
Step Three, tips and tricks on how to stay on track
So you’ve noted down the problem and you’re heading back to the gym - how do you stay on track? It’s all about changing your lifestyle and making decisions to help you get to your end goal. Here’s some advice to help you with staying in line and reaching that goal!
Set small 'check in' goals every two weeks: it could be that your long-term goal is too far away and you don’t have the patience so why not set small goals every two weeks. Small check in goals don’t have to be regarded to your physical progress either, it could be that in ‘two weeks time I want to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night’ or ‘I want to eat 5 a day every day’ - these small check in goals may feel more in reach and will help you achieve your overall goal.
Ask your social circle to accommodate your lifestyle: If you’re worried about losing out on socialising then why not suggest to your friends going for a walk rather than sitting in a beer garden? Perhaps you could attend a fitness class rather than heading to the cinema. If your friends call you ‘boring’ then are they really your friends? Your inner circle should be supporting your decisions about your health.
Limit your time spent on social media: If you spend time scrolling endlessly on social media and comparing your body to others then I’d suggest taking some down time from the apps. You can delete them from your phone or re-arrange them so they’re the very last app in your phone. As great and powerful social media is, you have to remember that what you see on someone’s grid could be so far away from their reality. It could also be causing you to give up and become unmotivated because you’re comparing yourself to something that might not even be real.
Practice saying no: PSA, you’re allowed to say no! If you don’t feel like doing something with friends or you don’t want to eat that cupcake Becky in accounts (sorry Becky, they did look good) baked for the office then you’re allowed to say no and the world won’t stop spinning. We have become a world that is so hesitant to say no and instead we end up doing things we don’t want to. It’s time to put yourself first.
I hope you have found this blog useful. I would like to think that by finishing this blog post you can take away some key actions and ideas on how to get back on track.
As I said at the start of the blog post, 99% of fitness journeys are never straightforward progress. So don’t feel disheartened and don’t quit. You’ve got this!
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