The days of our lives are a series of mini routines repeated over and over again.

These patterns of behavior dictate our lives, sometimes they’re good for us and sometimes they’re bad for us.

If we don’t become aware of these behaviors, life can easily pass us by.

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How To Get Back Into A Routine

A few months ago, I fell into a pattern of not working out and that became my new routine.

Back in December 2021, the gyms closed for a month due to the pandemic and I fell out of my gym routine.

I was accustomed to going to the gym at 5:30AM and when the gyms closed, I lost that routine and it took me almost 2 months to get back on track.

I started sleeping in and my energy levels dropped significantly because I missed my morning workout.

I felt like a completely different person and I realized how important staying active was for my mental health.

Yet, when the gyms opened up again in January 2022, I found myself struggling to get back into my regular routine despite it being such an important aspect of my life.

It was already hard enough for me to get into the routine of waking up at 5:00AM and when I lost that, I found myself struggling to get back into that routine.

Here are 3 things that helped me get my life back on track. These tactics can also apply to any habit you’re trying to build.

Photo by Shashi Chaturvedula on Unsplash

1) Think About It All The Time

Every action begins with a thought. Whatever comes into our mind becomes our reality and our obsessions eventually become our possessions.

I found that constantly thinking about going to the gym and imagining myself there helped put it on the radar of my mind.

How you can do this:

Put reminders everywhere in your environment; in your home or car or at work
Curate your social media feed

For me, because I wanted to get back into the gym, I printed out pictures of a lady who’s really fit (I cut off the head) and I placed it on the fridge, on my snack cupboard and on my vision board so I saw it all the time. It also helped me eat healthier as I thought twice before indulging in a snack.

I started following more fitness influencers on my social media and muted or unfollowed accounts that posted mindless content.

This subconsciously put thoughts about working out in my mind and also gave me ideas of new workouts to try.

Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.
Elbert Hubbard

2) Make A Plan

Like any habit you’re trying to build, you need to give it a time and a space in your life.

Plan out which days of the week you’re going to go to the gym and what time exactly.

If you have trouble motivating yourself to go to the gym, get a gym buddy and go together with a friend. This can also help hold you accountable.

You can also sign up for a class that has specific days and times for you to be there. It’s also a great way to make new friends.

Whether you’re going to workout by yourself or with friends, you always need to plan it!

How you can do this:

Join a yoga class or spin class
Get a personal trainer
Use a daily planner and schedule it into your calendar and be specific

I use my google calendar religiously. If it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done.

For me to get back into my gym routine, I planned out which days I’m going to workout and what time I’m going.

I listed exactly what exercises I’m going to be doing each day so I have a clear plan when I get to the gym.

3) Make It Easy

Our minds work in mysterious ways but one thing is for sure, it likes simple things.

When things are clear and simple in your mind, it makes taking action that much easier because you can focus on a target.

How you can do this:

Have everything ready the night before
Keep your schedule clear

What worked for me was having every single piece of my gym outfit laid out on my drawer beside my bed; from under garments to socks and a hair tie, all in one place.

That way, right when I wake up, I can slip into my gym outfit (still half asleep) and I’m already half way there.

I have my gym bag with all my equipment (water bottle, gym pass, headphones, wallet, keys, sweat towel, exercise gloves) all packed with my shoes by the door.

I like to workout first thing when I wake up because:

My willpower is strongest
Cortisol level is highest so it’s a great fat burning window
I get one of my top goals done right away
It gives me more energy throughout the day
It’s a huge sense of accomplishment to start my day

Keeping my schedule clear was another thing that worked for me.

When I jammed packed my schedule with so many tasks to do, it made me feel like going to the gym was taking up too much time and I’d skip it all together.

Especially if I slept in, I was already behind and trying to play catch up.

When my schedule was clear, I had all this free time to go workout and basically had no excuse for not going!