5 Ways to Break Out of a Workout Slump

The Art of Doing What You Can

Here's my confession... I've been in a workout slump - a particularly long workout slump. I have been settling for sporadic and often half-hearted attempts at lifting, sports, etc. And boy do I feel it... I'm achy, more irritable, sapped of energy and generally feel "soft". Perhaps some of you have gone through (or are currently going through) this sort of thing.

Let me get this straight right out of the shoot - I have no excuse! As incredibly busy as my life has been, there are ALWAYS opportunities for activity and healthy eating. Think of this more as an action plan for the super-busy - for those times in your life where you are burning the candle at both ends and are overextended with work/family and other unpredictable stressors. Here's what I am learning from the experience

I've tried to de-clutter my ideas into somewhat neatly packaged 5-step process. Here goes...

1. Accept

   Life brings us all kinds of situations, both good and not-so-good. These situations can be very time-consuming and sometimes it takes all of our energy just to get through the day. For me, accepting that that this is just a phase in my life was a major mental breakthrough.

2. Embrace

   A step beyond acceptance is embracing the situation. As stressed out and tired as I feel some days, I am able to rejoice in the fact that I can spend time with my 2 young children, help provide for my family and have a creative and intellectual outlet with writing - many thanks to you all for that *wipes tear rolling down cheek.

3. Prioritize

   It's amazing how a couple of days can turn into weeks, which can turn into months, etc. Enough is enough! I think sitting down and carving out the time for yourself is crucial. Reflect on why being healthy is so important to you and commit to making it happen. How are you going to make it a priority? What are you willing to give up? This is also a good time to re-visit and re-establish goals. The goals may be more on the conservative side. It's okay to be in a maintenance phase for a bit until you can free up some more time. But while weight loss and performance goals may be put on hold - you can ALWAYS stay healthy.

4. Plan

   Put your plan to paper. Fit it in, whether it is consistent grocery shopping, gym time, a sports league - find a way that you can do something with regularity. Recruit a friend, hire a babysitter once a week, use lunch breaks more efficiently. There are ways around your busyness.

5. Execute

   It's time to just get it done. Ask yourself every morning: What can I do today? You may genuinely be too busy to get to the gym, prepare 4 healthy meals or even take 5 minutes to unwind mentally. There are ways around this. Find a grocery store instead of a fast-food joint, do a 15 min home routine at night or before work, grab as many healthy and quick items from your fridge as possible before you run out the door. Push through the tiredness and resist the temptation to skip workouts and hit drive thrus when you don't feel like cooking or exercising. Use weekends to your advantage and plan a workout on both days. Use some time to cook large quantities of food that can be eaten throughout the week. I have found here that it is important to not take a dichotomous approach to training and eating well.

Getting things done in bits and pieces is still doing positive things for your health.

I think it comes down to accepting your situation, but not accepting letting your health decline... You may not be able to progress with your goals as fast as you'd like at the moment. You may feel unfit and soft as I did, but rest assured this can be just a temporary glitch.

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