Maruchy Lachance is president of Running Ninja!, a lifestyle brand for runners by runners. Running Ninja! offers a wide variety of apparel and gifts for runners to keep you happy and inspired while you’re on the run.
It happens to the best of us. Perhaps an injury or personal set-back derailed your exercise efforts. One day you woke up and you just felt like you would serve yourself best by just curling back into bed. Maybe after that you also decided to indulge yourself with comfort foods. Then this “one day” turned into several weeks and now you can’t seem to get yourself back on track. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. But don’t beat yourself up over this slip. This experience can actually be a good thing.
Getting back on the path to health and fitness can be a wonderful experience. It can be a time for you to evaluate what was not working in your previous routine. Maybe you were bored, or it was too challenging, or you were not seeing the results you desired. Returning to a healthy and active lifestyle can also be an opportunity for you to do some soul searching and spring-cleaning. Maybe it’s time to get out of that rut by shaking things up!
1. Change your routine. If you’re a gym rat, maybe you should pepper your workout a few times a week with outdoor exercise such as walking or running.
2. If you’re a runner or walker, you might want to bring it indoors for some Pilates or weight training.
3. Yoga is a great way to clear the mind while working on flexibility and balance.
4. Love your current exercise routine, but are just in a funk? Change the times of day you workout, or upgrade your workout clothes or gear. Freshen it up!
Just remember when you find yourself in these slumps that they don’t have to last forever and beating yourself up will only keep you away from a healthy lifestyle longer. Accept that sometimes you are going to stray away from your commitment to fitness, so give yourself either a number on the scale that will serve as your reality check, or an amount of time that you won’t allow go by without getting back to your routine. Remember, it’s okay to fall off the wagon just as long you are committed to getting back on!
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