GETTING BACK INTO ROUTINE

Life is not linear and sometimes it can unexpectedly cause you stray from your usual routine. However, instead of getting frustrated or negative about it, we need to accept these situations and learn how best to deal with them.

Last week I had one of these situations where I wasn’t able to eat healthy or exercise as normal because I was celebrating my birthday. The celebrations went all week and I was out every night drinking wine and having different desserts (so good) which I would never normal do, six days in a row. Now I know it was my birthday and I had every right to be a little more lenient with my healthy lifestyle, however honestly after about 2 days of it, I was kind of over the unhealthy food and lack of structure! I’m not sure if you ever feel that way as well, but for me, there just comes a point where I actually crave healthy food and the sight of a cake makes me feel sick. Anyway, the point is, that even though I wasn’t thrilled about deviating from my usual routine, I chose to make a conscious effort to just be in the moment and enjoy myself. I didn’t let my mind think about how sluggish and bloated I felt (for more than a minute), or allow myself to feel guilty for eating too many treats, as I knew that soon enough I would be back into my routine and all would be normal. I have to say though, it is a challenge to take control of your thoughts and change a negative mindset, but it’s worth doing ♡

I believe the most important thing to remember in situations similar to this, is that this phase of your life won’t last forever and you will eventually get back into a structure and routine which works for you!! So just enjoy yourself during your time off from “healthy living” as being negative won’t do you any favours. In addition, you have to remember that one week off your health and fitness routine won’t ruin all your progress!!!  Yes you may feel more bloated and some muscle definition my be lost, but you can gain that back in no time, plus it gives you another goal to work towards which will likely increase your motivation for working out harder!!

Below I have include a few tips for getting you back on track after a week off your usual health and fitness routine:

1. First take a moment to forgive yourself for the week you just had and get into the right mindset again. Tell yourself that you are going to workout and eat well because you LOVE your body and not because you want to quickly loose those extra kgs you may have just put on. You need to ensure you are working out for the right reasons, otherwise you may find yourself losing motivation to maintain your current fitness routine.

2.  Try not to expect too much of yourself straight away. Even after having only one week off, a lot can change with your body’s ability to be able to pick up where you left off. You don’t to work out too hard when your body isn’t ready for it as you are more likely to get an injury. So, to get yourself back to your fitness level previously, it’s best to start off with a little less intensity than what you are use to. You could do this by either reducing your workout time (e.g. perhaps from 30 minutes to a killer 15 minute HIIT workout) or by the amount of workouts you do a week (e.g, if you previously worked out for 5 days a week, perhaps stick to 3 days of HIIT and incorporate a few extra LISS (low intensity cardio) sessions). Once you feel you aren’t as sore or tired anymore then you know it’s time to get back into your normal routine!

3. Get back to eating healthy as soon as possible. I know from my experience that after about 3 days of my regular healthy eating pattern, I noticed all my bloating had gone and I felt more energetic and less lethargic than the previous week. The food you put into your body is so important to how your body functions overall. This is why I suggest eating healthy meals, healthy snacks (no more than 2 a day) and drinking lots of water as soon as your hectic week is over! The sooner you get back into everything the better you will feel.

4. Lastly, be kind to yourself. This is a reflection of tip number 1, however just reinforces that you can’t expect to magically bounce back to where you were before. Doing things the natural and safe way takes time, so keep positive and patient as you ease you way back into your health and fitness routine.

These are the things I think about after an indulgent week with no exercise and honestly they have helped me immensely. It has now been one week later following this advice and I feel so much better!! I hope this was helpful to you all as well.

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