We’ve all had setbacks or fallen off the fitness wagon, well most of us I think anyway. Once I’m in a good rhythm I stay that way, but I’ve been having trouble getting into a good routine again. My work schedule has been changing and it’s a little less structured and my left foot is not fully recovered from surgery. I decided this week I’d switch it up, get back on track with my blogging, and share my best ideas for getting back on track.
Thank you to the hosts, Fit Five Friday Link-Up with Darlene, Michelle, Renée, Jenn, and Zenaida.
One – Start where you’re at. Don’t worry about where you were, what you used to do, missed workouts, going back, and fixing things. Don’t try and play catch up, just start where you are today. When you have missed a few or many workouts, you may have to step your expectations back. Like today, I wanted to get started with blogging again. I haven’t been able to figure out when/where to jump back in. I woke up and said, no time like the present and here I am writing. Yesterday I did my first FTP test on Zwift to establish a baseline for my biking and today I may attempt to go for an easy job around the block. I have lots of goals. I miss being in the shape I was, but I am starting where I am at.
Two – Give yourself grace. This goes along with number one, but you are going to have to be very kind to yourself after a setback. You may have decreased abilities and you may not have as much intrinsic motivation. It’ll come. Me, I am usually a morning person. I like to workout first thing in the morning. For whatever reason, when I have a setback it takes me forever to get started. I almost never start back with an early morning workout and it often takes me all day just to do something for the first couple of days. Make a goal to exercise by the end of the day, even if it’s only 10 minutes. This is how I usually get restarted. Allow the house, your work, and all the other stresses to just be there. Yesterday I swear I sat and did nothing. I just couldn’t pull myself together until 2 pm, but I felt sooooo much better after I did and now I feel like I’m heading in the right direction again.
Three – Keep it simple at first. Make a goal to walk around the block, get on your bike, get in the pool, or put your running shoes on and step outside. I often make no goals at all for the first week other than that.
Four – Track your progress. Track where you are RIGHT now, not where you used to be, not where you want to be. Do some baseline tests of where you’re at. For example, record the number of pushups you can do in 1 minute, your 1 mile run time, or do like me and record an FTP test on the bike. (That’s my first FTP test and I swear I know nothing about biking right now.) If you record your starting point, then you’ll know how far you’ve come later. We often forget this and compare ourselves to past faster times instead of looking at our current progress.
Five – Once you’ve done a few workouts, write up some goals. Put them in writing, either digitally or on paper. You can pick a training plan or a race to aim for. You can write your own training plan. Have some fun with it. In fact, I think that’ll be my next thing to do is make some new goals. I first want to see if I can run yet. I’m not sure yet. If my running shoes are here today, I’m going for a test run around the block. I know I left a pair at work. It’s been so long since I ran that I don’t know where my shoes are.
Alright, that’s all I got, but I am trying my hardest to get back in a rhythm. I have a reputation to keep and goals to crush!
7 thoughts on “5 Ways to Get Back on Track”
Did you write this for me? Lol.
It’s hard but I’m happy to be back after 5 weeks off.
Being patient and comparing yourself to your preinjured self is quite a fear.
Thanks for this post v
Girl, I’ve been on the super struggle bus, but one thing I’m not is a quitter. Persistence is my strong suit. Thanks for stopping by. You seriously made me smile today.
It can be very hard for me to cut myself some slack. These are great tips and setting small daily and weekly goals is a huge help.
Nice job on jumping back in! I think the hardest, and most important thing, is just to START WHERE YOU’RE AT. Just start, no matter how small a step it is, and don’t measure yourself by where you want to be- just start where you’re at right now. The rest will follow. If you overthink the first step you’ll never take it.
Great tips – I especially appreciate starting where you are and giving yourself grace! It’s so easy to get caught up in the “shoulds” which can be so defeating.
Meeting yourself where you are is so important. Some days I really struggle getting anything done, and I let it go. Because there is nothing wrong with just existing.
These are all great tips! I find that it is difficult to give yourself grace. Also, I tend to look back at where I used to be instead of focusing on where I am now.
Thank you for linking up with us!