My day was thrown into chaos when our 14-year-old Shih Tzu fell ill and had to be rushed to the vet.
This happened just minutes before we needed to take our 7-month-old to his doctor’s appointment.
The rest of the day was spent caring for our furry friend and looking after our little one, leaving no time for my planned workout that morning.
In the past, this type of stressful day and missed workout would have led to a negative self-talk spiral.
Here’s what I did to reground myself when things didn’t go as planned:
- I accept that plans can change
- I reschedule a workout when I can
- I focus on what can be controlled (eating balanced meals & walking)
- I don’t beat myself up for missing a workout
I constantly remind myself to be realistic in the short term and optimistic in the long term.
Research shows that it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit (Lally et al., 2009).
Here are 3 things I do habitually and how you can keep making progress, too.
1. Set Realistic & Achievable Goals
I know setting realistic and achievable goals is crucial.
That’s why I ensure to align my workouts and nutrition to those goals.
When I think, “I want to have more energy, less neck/back pain, get stronger and improve my body composition,” I try to understand why I want those things.
I’ll ask myself “why” several times during the goal-setting process. This will help me understand the core reason and helps me to make them more specific.
If you can, ask yourself why, and try breaking your goals into specific, measurable, actionable steps you can turn into habits.
2. Follow a Personalized Workout Routine
Following workout routines from influencers can be super tempting because they appear to have amazing results.
However, some things to keep in mind:
- Many of those exercises may not be needed for your specific goals
- Their routine might not be the best fit for your body and current fitness level
Also, you don’t see the functional, boring exercises that are proven to produce results because they aren’t flashy or exciting.
If you’re new to strength training, try finding a qualified (and experienced) coach to help create a workout routine that works for your busy lifestyle.
3. Review Current Routine
When I feel stuck after following a routine for a while (12+ weeks), I like to pause, review my progress and evaluate if I need to change my workout routine.
Afterward, I like to remind myself growth happens outside the gym, so I’ll take stock of what I’ve been doing to support my recovery and nutrition.
Here are my go-to habits that help with your recovery:
- Consume enough daily protein (1.8 – 2.4g per kg of lean body mass)
- Aim to get 7-9 hours of restful sleep
- Drink adequate amounts of water
- Walk daily
If you’ve been at it for more than 12 weeks and haven’t seen any change, take a closer look at your routine.
Ensure your workout routine includes the following:
- a proper warm-up (read this post)
- functional exercises (including big, compound exercises)
- progressive increase in intensity over time
Also, keep track of the resistance used during each workout.
This will help you avoid deviating from the plan and wasting time guessing during the workouts.
And that’s it.
I hope you find emails like this helpful.
Let’s keep showing up daily, making an effort, and the rest will take care of itself.
Have a wonderful day!