GETTING BACK ON TRACK!
I thought this would be a great time to talk about “getting back on track” for a few reasons. First, we just passed Easter and that can be a challenging “candy holiday” for many folk. Even planned indulgences can sometimes lead to a tough week after, never mind if you went off your plan with no mindful intention. Second, we’re into the second quarter of the year. Motivation can be long gone now and the realization that making lasting true change is going take more than a few weeks has set in. So if you’re in one of those places on your health journey, or just feeling off track when it comes to any goals you’ve set, this blog is for YOU!
Personally, I feel like I have gotten off track during my health journey more times than I can count. Listing the reasons and excuses I could generate as to why I got off track for you would be a wasted exercise. There’s always a great reason in our heads when it happens. Today I want to focus on the bigger challenge of moving past those excuses and getting things back in line.
I won’t insult your intelligence or make presumptions about the tools you’re using to get to your goals. You know what you need to do to be “on track.” You know what your checklist of non-negotiables and daily routines must resemble to move yourself forward. The simple fact is, you’re not doing those things right now and can’t seem to get yourself back to them. That is not a fun place to be when you are aware of it. You’re stuck between knowing and doing. You know what your food plan should look like, you know what you need to avoid, you know your exercise routine… are you seeing my point? You have the answers of what you need to do, but something is keeping you from simply just doing it. I want to offer some advice to help you get back to a place of action.
Revisit and Bring Your Why Into Focus
Are you tired yet of me talking about your Why in my blogs? I hope not because it always bears repeating how truly important it is. Losing focus on your reasons for making healthy change can be a big barrier to getting back on track. Sit down again with yourself and ask yourself why you need to change. Be honest, be blunt and be specific. My why was wanting to live and when I fell hard off track during the Summer of 2017 it took me facing days of gluttonous bingeing with the words “I Want To Live!” hung up around my apartment to realize that those moments of pleasure where taking me away from that purpose. I had to realize before each bite, “Eating this is harming myself on purpose,” for me to get my course corrected. So bring back your why, write it down, say it out loud. Keep it in the center of your mind.
Give Up Perfection
Realize that none of us are perfect. You’re not. We’re all human beings with flaws and challenges, but we are all capable of doing amazing things. Chasing perfection can some times keep us immobile. We’d rather do nothing than take the small steps forward we see as possible because we believe it’s all or nothing. This is complete crap. All forward motion matters and sometimes that will be leaps and bounds, and sometimes that looks like the smallest steps on our tip toes. When you accept that it is not perfection that leads to success but instead consistency, you will take a lot of pressure off of yourself. The fear of failure is a huge roadblock to getting back on track, so take it off the table. Do what you can, when you can, and be grateful for even your smallest choices. Not ready to go right back to 100% tracked macros? Work on something you can manage, like eliminating the foods that drive cravings. These middle steps to success add up.
Create a Plan
Like I said earlier in the blog, you know what you need to do. The challenge can often be that it feels overwhelming trying to decide what to do first and where to direct your energy. So map it out! Open a notebook or a word doc and start the list of tasks and actions that you need to be doing. When it’s done, review it, group the items that lead into each other, and set priorities based on what you feel you can handle right now. You’re not giving anything up, but there’s only so much fuel in the tank! This might mean you see a list of 10-15 items you know you need in line but right now focusing on and accomplishing 4-5 of them can be an enormous win. Creating this more detailed and prioritized list of actions can make things seem more possible. You might now feel currently capable of doing it all, but you can define what you will do.
Identify The Consequences
You have a plan. You have your why. You’re ready, but you feel like you need one more push. So sit with yourself, make it plain what will happen if you don’t get back on track. Where will it lead? What will it cost you? Don’t downplay the consequences of inaction. Instead, face them. Think about how hard you have fought to get where you are now, and what it would feel like to see all of that effort and progress be lost. Maybe you are facing some of these consequences already but you’ve been ignoring them or explaining them away. Stop that. Don’t let yourself get away with it. Maybe the person who needs to give you a tough talk is yourself. You do it because you care for yourself and your future, not as punishment. Call yourself out on the lies you might be telling yourself. Truth is hard to ignore when we look for it!
JUST DO IT… For One Day
Still not feeling it? Not convinced you’re able to get back on track? How about this then… just do it. Not forever, not for a week, just for one day. 24 hours. You can survive almost anything for 24 hours. So why not just drag yourself kicking and screaming back to the track. Hop on and tell yourself, “This is just for today. If I wake up tomorrow and feel like this was a wasted day then I can always quit again. But for one day I am going to prove I can.” It might not be fun, it might not feel great, but you can do it. And then, this is key, sit back before you head to sleep and realize you did it. You survived the day. So why not do one more? Let the win of one day become two, then three, and so on. Focus only on needing to get through 24hrs of routine and good choices. Just one day. Don’t let your head start to tell you that you can’t do it forever. Silence that voice. All you need to worry about is one day. You can’t worry about tomorrow until it arrives.
So what are you thinking? Are you ready to try some of these suggestions?If yes, great! I hope they help. If no, ask yourself why, and be honest. Even if those answers are uncomfortable. No one can get the blocks out of your path for you. It is something you have to do alone in the end. Believe that you can, no matter how hard it might seem to get them to budge right now. I have faith in you! If you feel like you’re doing everything possible and are still struggling, maybe it’s time to find a new level of accountability. I’d love to talk to you about coaching and how it might be able to help. Click here now for more information!
