The Summer Shift – Falling into New Routines
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Back to school is here and that means cooler temperatures, less daylight and the routine of homework, after-school activities and sports. Even if you don’t have children, Fall signals a change in pace and focus. Work picks up again. The push to meet those year-end goals is now a high priority!
If doing the happy dance at the bus stop this morning or running to catch the train was the first exercise you’ve done all summer, and your diet has consisted of the 3 B’s: BBQ, burgers and beers…you’re not alone. Most people relax their health and fitness goals during the fun of summer.
But if too much of summer relaxing has caught up to you and those Fall jeans and sweaters are a little snug, don’t panic! Before you make a run to the local mall to size up your wardrobe or resign yourself to wearing sweats all winter – there’s plenty of time to shape up before the real craziness of the holiday season kicks in! And, it doesn’t mean you have to commit to two hours of daily sweat or surviving on a diet of celery sticks and water. In fact, you can reset habits in just a few weeks to kickstart your weight-loss and start feeling better.
Try these tips to restore some order to your health and fitness routine:
Don’t look back. No regrets if you took the summer or even most of 2018 off from your health and wellness goals. You made memories and had fun. You can’t change it so don’t focus on it. Today is a perfect day to start. Onward and upward!
Set a 30-day SMART goal. SMART goals are – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. Creating a 30-day goal will give you something to work toward without it becoming overwhelming. For example, a SMART goal might be, “To lose 5 lbs. by walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and keeping my calories to 1400 a day.”
Put a plan in place. Nothing is truer than the quote “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” No weight-loss or health goal is attained without a plan. It’s not fun to plan. Just one hour every Sunday to set up a calendar of workouts and meals can eliminate spur of the moment decisions later in the week that lead to skipping workouts and ordering pizza.
Get a support network in place. When family, friends and co-workers know what you’re trying to accomplish, they are more likely to help you stick to your plan. It’s especially important to get your immediate family on board with meal planning and protecting your time to exercise. A spouse or older kids can help with preparing meals and taking care of younger children while you work out or pair up with a neighbor to help each other stay accountable.
Celebrate the little accomplishments. Don’t wait until you reach your ultimate goal to celebrate. Recognize the small wins along the way. That keeps you motivated to push forward. That might mean treating your family to healthy take out after two weeks of preparing and eating meals at home. Or, allowing yourself to have a piece of good dark chocolate after a stressful week where you avoided office donuts, happy hours and other diet disasters!
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Getting back on track and then maintaining healthy habits is a process and lifestyle.
You didn’t get off track or gain weight overnight – so changing those habits won’t be a quick fix. While Fall is the perfect time to refocus on you, be patient with yourself on this journey. There will be obstacles along the way but if you get started now, you will be healthy for the holidays and ready to take on all the stress and fun that come with them.
If the idea of having your meals planned for you and getting the daily coaching and accountability you know you need to succeed sounds awesome…join one of my Fall group programs!
KetoFast – a 28-day Keto and Intermittent Fasting Program that accelerates weight loss or Back to Basics – a 28-Day balanced, clean eating plan to reset habits and kick start weight loss.