Occasionally, you might embark on what can best be described as a “health detour.” Sometimes, you stray from what you know is healthy and do things you shouldn’t, or sometimes an unexpected injury or illness sidelines you.
The good news is that science is now revealing all sorts of ways you can bounce back and get on track again. Your health is one of the most important things to you, so knowing these strategies to get back on the path to wellness and take care of it is essential.
Acknowledge Your Detour But Don’t Judge
The first step in this process is often to acknowledge that the detour occurred without judging. You want to be clear with yourself about what happened and what it means, but you don’t want to fall into the trap of guilt. A lot of people simply feel guilty about falling off the bandwagon and then that emotion drives more of the negative behavior they don’t want to see in their lives.
To avoid this problem, reflect on the detour and then remind yourself that it’s nothing big. You ate something you wish you hadn’t, but you can get right back on with your usual routine starting at breakfast the following day.
Even if you haven’t exercised for months, that doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake or done anything wrong. It is just a reminder that you have tomorrow to get back to your routine and male it happen. You’re not forcing yourself to do it, you’re just using it as a tool to meet your health goals.
Set Goals You Can Attain
Speaking of which, it is always a good idea to set goals you can actually attain. This approach helps to program your unconscious to accept what you want to do and actually start moving toward it.
For example, don’t pick a goal like: “I will lose 50 pounds.” Instead, look for something more immediate than you can do, like “I will walk for 20 minutes today” or “I will eat three portions of fruit today.” These are easier for your brain to digest and they don’t feel quite as scary as trying to do everything at once and making radical changes.
Rebuild Your Environment
If you can rebuild your environment for success, that’s also a good idea. While the environment isn’t everything, it can have a profound impact on how you feel.
For example, cluttered spaces can make healthy habits more challenging. The constant disorder creates stress and makes it harder to cook healthy meals in the kitchen.
Trick here is to change your environment. For example, you might get rid of all the unhealthy snacks in your kitchen and just have fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator. You might also clear up the floor and get rid of all the dirty dishes in the sink so that following your new, healthy habits is more straightforward.
If you have an addiction to something like fentanyl, the change you need in your environment should be much greater. You need to go to a rehab clinic and ensure you get the proper monitoring and support you need to avoid relapse.
If you can get a family member or a friend to help you with this, then that also makes sense. You want to ensure that you have people around you who are in a position to help you bounce back and get on with your life again.
Focus On Changing One Habit At A Time
Another pro tip for bouncing back from a health detour is to focus on changing one habit at a time. If you try to do too much all at once, you can find yourself getting overwhelmed and running out of energy, even if the changes you make are worthwhile.
For example, don’t try to overhaul your diet, sleep and exercise all in one go. Instead, focus on sleep first and then make small changes to your diet. Once you have these basics in place, you should find it easier to exercise and get the physical activity you need to thrive.
Most people who are successful attack new things in two-week chunks. The first two weeks are all about sleep, for instance, and then the next are about diet, and so on. Within a few months, you should find that you’ve turned your entire life around.
If you can “habit stack,” that’s also a good idea. For example, you might combine meditation with green tea, or go walking after a meal. I combine my daily morning meditation with wearing my red light mask to get two important tasks done at the same time. Putting these things together can often produce more results than simply committing to them alone.
Figure Out Your “Why”
Sometimes, it is good practice to figure out your “why.” You should have a reason for why you want to transform your health and bounce back from a setback.
Once you know your “why,” you have a strong incentive to continue moving in that direction. For example, you might want to recover your health for your children, or because you want to climb a mountain. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it is compelling to you.
The best way to do this is to write it down. If you can visualize and then make your dream a reality in your mind or on paper, it is much more likely to actually happen in the future.
Seek Support
You may also find it helpful when bouncing back from a health detour to seek support. These days, there are so many coaches and services you can get to get back on track.
What’s nice about these is that they accept slip-ups but help you get back on the path. You know that there are people around you who will support you and enable you to push through, no matter how challenging it seems.
Prioritize Recovery
Lastly, make sure you prioritize recovery, especially if your health detour is the consequence of stress or burnout. Ensure that you add plenty of rest days to your exercise plan and keep your workout sessions to less than 45 minutes. If you go beyond that, you risk excessive stress.
