How to get back on track
I love to work. I love everything that I do. Taking a break is not a thing that I do that often, but not so long ago I thought to myself “You know what, it’s time for me to chill”. And so I did. And I noticed that it's not always that easy to get back on track.
Most very ambitious people who have really big goals have a hard time taking a break. I see it not only with myself but also with ambitious women and men that I'm surrounded with. But once they do take a break, they struggle to find their motivation back again. People often reach out to me asking “Jess, help me, I need to get back on track. What can I do?”.
The answer here is more complicated than it seems. Sure, I can help you get back in the game, but in reality, whether you do or not only depends on you and your inner motivation. Do you REALLY want to?
Find your Why?
More often than not, we realise we need to get back on track after spending a certain period of time relaxing, spending more time on the couch than in the gym, for example. And let me be clear here, there’s nothing wrong with that. There is a season for everything.
But you might be at a point now where you feel like it’s enough, where you feel like you need to pick up those good habits you have left on the side a little. But why? Why is it that you feel you want to, for example, hit the gym again? What is your internal motivation?
You have to be very clear with this. I suggest you first take the time to think about your big why.
Ask yourself why in the first place you want to get back on track.
What is your motivation?
What inspires you?
What is your goal?
What work do you have to do in order to get there?
Because if you're not clear on your goal, if you don't know where you want to go, you're less likely to be motivated to go out there and do something about the goal that you want to achieve.
No matter what you feel the urge to pursue right now, ask yourself those questions. Whether you’d like a six-pack, a lot of money, your own successful business, or the perfect partner, ask yourself why. Because most people don’t. And when they reach their goals, they still feel like something’s missing.
Again, if we use the gym example... Why do you want to go to the gym? To lose weight? Well, why do you want to lose weight? Go deeper. What’s the reason under the surface?
You want to lose weight so that you can go swimming with your kids without being out of breath? Good! Hold on to this why. Hold on to the deep, most profound reason. This will be the fire helping you move forward.
Go back to the question above and take your time to really think about it, journal about it, meditate about it. You can even create a mind map or a vision board illustrating your why.
Taking your time will ultimately give you the motivation and the feeling that you don't even need an external motivator to get you back on track. That’s the end goal!
Make a plan
This is something I like to do. Being ready helps me a lot to get back on track. The last time I did, I took some time on a Sunday and I created a plan for myself on Google calendar. I time-blocked the times where I was going to do the things that I needed to do. By doing so, I created a structure in my mind, like a safety net. I knew when I was going to wake up on Monday morning, and I knew I was going to be less anxious and overwhelmed.
Taking half an hour on a Sunday evening to create a plan for yourself is truly worth it. You’re eliminating a lot of stress that a lot of people experience on Monday morning because the to-do list is endless and more and more things are coming up. Right? So create a plan for yourself. Doing one task that is really simple on that rest day can help you feel more structured and safe during the rest of the following week.
Take it slow
You want to get back with your nutrition and your training? The most important thing here is to not overwhelm yourself. I repeat, do not overwhelm yourself. If you had a two-week, three-week break from training as you usually train or eating as you usually eat, really take it slow.
Make a food shopping list. What is it that I will be cooking this week? And don't choose a hundred different recipes. Choose three recipes that are going to get you through the week. Make a shopping list, go shopping and meal prep. And you're going to have meals prepared for the next week, without you having to worry about when you’ll have time to cook during your busy week. This will help you avoid reaching for fast food.
The same thing applies to training. Take it slow. Don't go straight into your five, six times a week routine. When you just had a break from it, really take it slow, starting maybe with some yoga, some stretching, or easy full-body training. And don’t forget to warm up your body before getting into any kind of exercise.
Don’t stress yourself out because the more you stress yourself, the more tired and anxious you're going to be, and the more it's going to seem like it's impossible to get back on track. But remember this little something I always repeat to my clients: consistency is more important than perfection. So again, I’ll repeat it: take it slow.
I would say the bottom line is that it’s completely up to you. I can give you all those advice, but if you don’t apply them, nothing will change. You’ll stay off the track as long as you don’t move in the right direction. Find your “why”, make a plan, and take it slow. You are already more than halfway there.