Perhaps you previously had your health in check and were feeling really great about how active you were, what you were eating and how healthy you felt. But, somehow, you’ve now ended up in a bit of a rut with your health and wellness, and you’re not feeling great about any of it.
Maybe it’s your hectic work schedule, perhaps it’s busy family life, or maybe you’ve been dealing with far too much general stress – whatever the cause it’s left you feeling negatively about your health.
This kind of situation is extremely common, with lots of people finding that they’re losing their way with their health and are struggling to get things back together. This kind of situation – where you find yourself in a bad routine that you just can’t seem to get out of – can feel like a rut that it’s impossible to escape, and it is exhausting.
But, despite it feeling like a total nightmare to navigate your way out of this kind of situation, believe it or not, it is possible. The key is simply knowing what approach you need to take to do so, that’s all.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a selection of handy tips and tricks to help make pulling yourself out of a rut feel a little more doable. For everything that you need to know, read on.
Map out your goals
First things first, if you’re going to get yourself out of the rut that you’ve found yourself in, it’s important that you take the time to carefully map out your goals. Ask yourself: what do I want to achieve? And think about what would make you feel better.
It’s important to take the time to do this and actually think carefully about what you want (and need) to achieve in regards to your health and wellness in order to start to feel better and to be able to move forward and out of the cycle that you’re currently stuck in.
Start with a bullet-pointed list of key goals, such as ‘cut out sugar’ or ‘be able to run a mile’, and then use that list as your jumping off point. You can use that list to set smaller targets that will help you to reach those bigger milestones.
Begin with small changes
It’s easy to assume that change needs to begin with big steps but sometimes all we can manage is small steps, and that’s also perfectly fine. So, don’t be ashamed to begin by making small steps – all that matters is that you’re starting to make changes, regardless of how big or small they might be.
If you find yourself struggling to know where to start, think about the little steps you need to take in order to meet your larger targets. For instance, let’s say that you want to be able to run a mile, first you need to build your fitness, and walking is great for fitness. So, you could start by aiming to walk half a mile a day, followed by walking a mile, and then, over time, starting to jog and eventually run a mile. It doesn’t matter if it takes months, all that matters is that you’re starting to take steps to achieve change and you’re feeling better for it.
Think about what would make you feel better
It’s also important to take the time to think carefully about what would make you feel better. Because, sometimes, being stuck in a rut is a result of not liking something about yourself. If this is the case, you might want to think about what steps you could take to make yourself feel better and to help you to learn to love yourself again.
For instance, let’s say that you’re struggling with body image issues and you don’t like an area of your body. You could begin by trying to use exercise to change it, however if that doesn’t achieve the desired result, you may want to think to speaking to a professional, from somewhere like Element Body Lab, who can shed some light on how you can better target any issues that are impacting how you feel about yourself.
Get creative with fitness
When it comes to staying fit and exercising regularly, not everyone enjoys the process, and that’s perfectly fine. However, it’s important that you take steps to change how you feel about exercise so that you’re able to make staying fit a priority. The good news is that there are so many different ways to exercise and there’s bound to be one or two that work for you – it’s simply a case of finding out what they are.
That’s why it’s a good idea to get a little more creative with your approach to fitness. Perhaps the gym or going for a run isn’t for you, but there are lots of other options too. Maybe you’d enjoy fitness yoga? Or, could Zumba be right up your street? Perhaps walking could be the answer? Take the time to think about what you would enjoy doing and give it a try to see if it could help you to stay healthy and in shape.
Make food more fun
It’s far too easy to fall into the routine of living off of junk food, isn’t it? But, eating healthy, wholesome food is important. However, a lot of people assume that healthy food is dull, boring and flavourless, but the truth is it simply depends on how it’s prepared, served and cooked. Get creative with healthy food and eating healthily can become a lot more enjoyable – you’ll be amazed at the amount of healthy dishes that you can make.
In need of a little healthy cooking inspo? Resources like Pinterest are great, as are Instagram and TikTok. Plus, there are lots of great healthy cooking books out there, in addition to lots of online recipes too. You could also write a list of all your favourite takeaway dishes and look at finding ways to recreate healthier versions at home.
There you have it, a guide to some simple steps that you can take when you find yourself stuck in a health rut that you’re struggling to get out of.
