Oct 7 • Discussion
Getting Back on Track!
In undergrad, I was the president of the largest club on campus, taking a full course load, working two jobs, interning for a nonprofit, and saying yes to everything else on top of it. I barely had time to eat three full meals a day, and my health went on the back burner. The gym was the first thing to go, because it was the only thing on my calendar that nobody else was counting on me for.
When I finally admitted it had slipped, my instinct was to promise myself a full comeback: five days a week, starting Monday. I knew that wasn't going to happen with the schedule I had. Instead of being disappointed in myself for not meeting an impossible standard, I adapted.
I set one small goal each day: move my body somehow. Some days that was a walk between meetings, and other days it was twenty minutes of something before bed. It wasn't impressive, but I could do it even on my worst days, and it kept me from going all the way back to zero.
I also made myself a promise: once I graduated and had control of my schedule again, the gym would be a priority instead of whatever was left over at the end of the day.
That was almost a year and a half ago, and I've been consistent ever since.
A few things I took from it:
- The first things to slide are usually the ones only you are accountable for, so those are the ones worth keeping an eye on.
- When you can't do the full version of something, do the small version. Doing a little every day got me further than a perfect plan I was never going to start.
- If now isn't the time for the real commitment, decide when it will be, and then follow through when that time comes.
Getting back on track didn't happen in one big reset for me. It happened because I set a goal small enough to keep while life was hectic, and then kept my word to myself once I had the room.
Have you ever fallen off course and had to get back on track? What did that look like?
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Getting Back on Track!
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