Back in March when COVID cases started to rise and communities started shutting down restaurants, gyms, nonessential businesses, and more and more people started working from home a lot of people made a commitment to start taking better care of their health. Internet searches for at home exercise routines and healthy meal recipes soared. There wasn’t a dumbbell, physioball, jump rope, or exercise band to be had anywhere.
In my own neighborhood, I started seeing neighbors I hadn’t seen in months out for a run, walking their dog, or doing squats in their driveway.
But now it’s September and my neighborhood is again a quiet little hamlet. No more family bike rides, no more sidewalk yoga, and no more strolling puppies. Everyone it seems is settling back into their routines.
Restaurants are open, people are eating out again, fitness equipment is back in stock, and the number of online workout classes is starting to dwindle.
Folks commitment to better health is slowly going by the wayside. As we edge slowly closer to our lives returning to “normal”, we are falling back into old routines where physical activity and good nutrition are no longer on our, “to do” lists.
So, what about you:
- Are you sticking to an exercise routine, either at home or in the gym?
- Do you find yourself eating out more often, maybe grabbing a quick burger and fries rather than making a healthy dinner?
- Have you stopped having your groceries delivered and started doing your own shopping only to find yourself making impulse purchases like the newest flavor of potato chip or those M&Ms that were on sale?
If you have found yourself sliding backward into old habits, NOW is the time to recommit to those healthy habits you pickup earlier in the year.
You may need to get creative if your schedule is less open and flexible than months past, but with a little thought and planning you can keep those good habits going.
This week pick 1 of your healthy habits and commit to focusing on building and reinforcing that habit to the best of your ability each day.
Don’t let your old normal ruin the progress you made during your “new normal”.
Good luck, have fun, and have a happy healthy week!