Back In The Habit

It’s 11am on Sunday and I am still in bed. Late last night, I flew back from a week away in Cancun, Mexico. I spent just about the entire time drinking piña coladas, relaxing by the pool, and not having a care in the world. For that reason I’m sure it’s easy for you to understand then why I am nursing my coffee, snuggled in the sheets and not wanting to get back to “real” life.

In last week’s Sunday Starter, I talked about breaking routines. About getting out of your habits every once in a while and mixing things up. Vacations are a wonderful way to do that: a much needed and healthy break from the monotony of “real” life. The thing is, I like my real life. I have chosen my goals and routines for a reason and yet I still find it quite difficult to get back to them after a week off, or if I’m being honest, even a day off.

So what do you do when you take a vacation and all the food you ate killed the progress you’ve made on your weight loss goals? Or you come home and that book you want to write suddenly feels so much bigger a task than it did before you left? The part of us that enjoyed our week away will want to keep our new found freedom, so we need to remind ourselves of our mission.

Why did you decide to go after your goal in the first place? What’s the reason? Who is it you are trying to be? Remember that person and then recommit to something for the next 7 days. When you can, schedule something that will force you to get back at it, like making a plan to go running with a friend. By picking something very specific, for a short amount of time, you’ll be able to jump start your routines again and give your muscle memory a chance to take over once more.

So take a break when you need it. Mix it up. Then get back in the habit and give yourself the boundaries and structure you need for success.