The Come Back Kid - Getting Out of That Fitness Slump

An online fit gal pal of mine recently confessed that during the summer, she had placed her healthy lifestyle goals on the back-burner due to her three school age children being out of school, summer family traveling plans and lots of out of town visitors; all while working a full-time job. She wanted to get back on track but felt overwhelmed at where to begin. The busy school year was about to start, the pounds had snuck up on her and she felt she did not have the energy or the inner drive to start all over again.   

Haven’t most of us been in her shoes in one way or another? You let one good habit go and  then another. Make one dietary compromise, then another and another. Miss one workout, then another and another; and so on and so on. You get the picture. Whether the hiatus is for a couple of weeks or several years, the mental affect can be the same. But take heart! You can get back on track because a setback is a setup for a comeback. 

Here are some steps that you can take to restart the process:

Think Forward

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Realize that achieving your healthy lifestyle goals is a lifetime journey.  Don’t look at your time off as a failure but as the past and a part of the process that gets us from A to Z. Just as raising our children or committing to our partner, there are exhilarating highs but some heartbreaking lows that make us want to wave the white flag in defeat. But just as we do not give up on those most precious relationships in our lives, we should honor our relationship within enough to embrace our imperfect selves. So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and love yourself enough to move forward.

Think Positive

Let’s momentarily ignore the fact that numerous scientific studies indicate that positive thoughts have actual health benefits such as a longer natural lifespan, a stronger immune system and slower aging.  When it comes to recommitting to a healthier lifestyle after taking the summer or even years off, believing that is not only possible but possible for YOU is more than half of the battle. Identify and write down what you want to accomplish and why it is important to you to do so.  Begin affirming throughout each day positive thoughts and statements regarding your goals and your ability to carry them out. End your day reflecting on your progress, regardless of how large or small the strides, and encourage yourself. These positive thoughts will lead to continued positive action, which will keep adding momentum to your comeback.

Think Techie

Make getting back in stride easier by using technology to fire up your healthy lifestyle revival. Not only is it smart, especially for working fit moms, but it’s more affordable than you think. Wearable technology by brands such as Garmin, Fitbit and Apple allow you to monitor your heart rate, mileage, GPS tracking and more. Connect to a huge health and fitness conscious community for recipe ideas, a variety of workouts and plain old inspiration. If you are not shy of such a vast audience to be accountable to, post your own efforts (successes and struggles) to keep you motivated. Sharing your journey online can also positively influence someone who has decided to bounce back themselves. There are also numerous fitness apps that can lead you through workouts and track nutritional information. In other words, no more excuses.

The bottom line is that any journey has hills, valleys, mountains and crossroads that can side track us from our destination. The important thing to remember is that despite the obstacles, we can regroup and come back even stronger and wiser than before.