“Getting Back on Track”
What a frustrating conversation this is…”on track”. What does that even mean?
It’s not black and white, there’s not some rule or law that tells you “how to do it”. But it’s important! Life happens. Like you, I’m only human. I too struggle with being thrown out of my routine and needing to find my way back to the habits and routines that I know work best for me.
So what do you do when you have a major life stressor thrown your way, or your child is sick, or work is really crazy, or you go on vacation?
I don’t know.
I don’t know that I have exactly the right answer, or that there even IS one “right” answer! But, I’m going to share with you what works well for me, and hopefully, something in here will land for you.
Pick two to three very specific aspects of my nutrition and movement that I want to return to / improve on.
You want to be VERY specific about what these are, how you plan on accomplishing them, when in your day you want to have them done by, etc…
- Drink 100 oz of water
I’m choosing this goal because it’s something that I know i could do in the past and it’s made me feel great. There are no downsides.
I know that 100 oz = drinking 4 rounds of my favorite pink water bottle. I will drink the first one in the morning pre-coffee, the second one I’d like to have done by noon, 3 by 3:00, and use the evening for the last one.
Do you see how specific that is? That’s what works well for me!
2. 30 g of protein in my breakfast and dinner with a total of 115 g for the whole day
Then you’ll pick a few examples of how you can accomplish this. Plan out some meals that you know will hit this number goal!
For example: 4 strips of turkey bacon and 2 slices of “Un-Bread” will reach this goal for me.
Another example: 4 scrambled eggs with feta cheese will also get my 30 g of protein
This feels important to mention with this conversation:
It’s okay for you to plan out a meal and/or what you want to eat in the week without it also becoming obsessive and overtaking your being. It is okay AND possible for you to plan out the expectations that you have for yourself with your nutrition and your movement and hold yourself to that expectation without it also equaling being obsessive, unhealthy, or unsustainable.
You are allowed to be a person who has a goal, wants to meet it, and knows that you deserve it. Now, there is a slippery slope, where you don’t allow yourself to do anything outside of that structure and that’s where you may need to have a deeper conversation with somebody.
I challenge you to be able to take a period of time where you can track what you’re providing for your body without it becoming obssesive. Allow it to just be neutral information you gather to better understand what you need from your nutrition rather than restrictive all or nothing thinking.
3. Movement
Then, get specific. For example: movement every single day with at least three strength training days; filling the rest with bike riding, walks, and stretching. From here, I would encourage you to also plan what time of the day you are going to do these activities. Have your clothes and shoes ready. Put it on your list. Whatever you need to do – you know YOU!
Picking 2-3 nutrition and movement specifics that I know have made me feel great in the past has been a very successful path for “getting back on track” for me. What’s worked well for you?
Here are some other ideas that might resonate for you:
- Foundational supplement routine
- Meal prepping for lunches
- Meditating
- Stretching
- Calling a friend
- Committing time to a hobby
Let me know what has been working for you!
PS: need a jump start to getting on track with your gut health?