In the past two years, life may have thrown some curveballs your way, temporarily impacting your ability to stick to a healthy routine. If you had taken a break from your fitness and nutrition goals for any reason, you may be looking to get back on track and I am here to help. What’s more important than the setback is the comeback.
Here are a few tips to get empowered and take the necessary steps to get your fitness routine and diet back on track:
Set realistic goals
What does getting back on track mean to you and how are you going to achieve it? The first step is to simply decide within yourself that you want to make a change and be ready to dedicate yourself to being active and eating healthy again. The next step is to set some clear goals. The goals you create will allow you to have clear direction and a path back. Your goal may be to lose fat, build muscle, or maybe simply just move your body again so you feel your best.
Make gradual changes
Let’s face it, making many changes at once is quite difficult, and may actually lead to the towel being thrown in all together. The best approach is to make one or two small changes at a time. This way, the small changes start to become part of your everyday routine and you’re able to build upon them. For example, you may start with simply aiming to cook your own meals and meal prep. Once you’ve got that down pat, your next change might be to go to the gym three times a week. After that, your next change may be to add a 30-minute walk each day. Doing it like this makes the changes much more sustainable.
Create a routine
Now that you’ve established some healthy habits, it’s time to create a set routine to follow. A routine gives you structure and improves your ability to stick to these changes long term. When figuring out your routine, some things to consider are:
How many days will I work out?
What time of day will I exercise?
Which days will I do my shopping?
Will I food-prep or cook fresh each day?
Answering these questions will help to guide the schedule you create for yourself and help make exercising and eating healthy fit into your lifestyle.
Follow a meal plan
Figuring out what you are going to eat in advance not only saves time in the long run, but it helps keep you on track. Take some time to write down some of your favourite meals and construct your own meal plan for what you will eat each week. By doing this, you’ll be able to ensure you have all the ingredients you need to make each meal – there are no excuses.
