YOUR HEALTH ROUTINE CHECK-IN
If you are like the rest of us, you probably have a schedule teeming to the brim with work, friends, personal time, exercise, family, and tons of other hobbies. On top of your full schedule, you most likely have self-directed goals (exercise, eat healthy, read, etc.). With a full schedule and expectations of achieving your goals, you may also find yourself using routines to stay on top of things throughout the week. For example, you may be someone who works 9-5 Monday to Friday and is too busy after work to go to the store and fully prepare dinner. In addition, let's say you have a goal of eating cleaner and minimizing processed foods. Going to the store on Sunday and getting food to prepare for the week is a routine directed at eating cleaner amongst a busy schedule.
The Right Routine
As a personal trainer, I help people set and stick to workout routines all the time. In my experience, I have found that I periodically change routines to address new or evolving goals. This is because, like a tool, routines function best for a specific job. The right routine will move you closer to your goals, while the wrong may make you feel like you're wasting energy and working against yourself.
So how can you make sure you are helping yourself with your routines? First, prioritize your goals and tasks that you want done. You cannot do everything at once, so prioritizing can bring order to a seemingly never-ending list of tasks. From there, plan to put routines into place that address your goals. Consciously deciding what part of your day or week is dedicated to achieving a goal or completing a routine task can be good motivation to consistently engage in that routine while also providing stress relief in that you know said task has allocated time to be completed.
When It’s Time to Change
A common complaint I hear around shifting routines is that people do not have time or they are set in their old routine, so it would be mentally tough to break it and start a new one. Evaluate the coherence of your current routines and your current goals. Are your routines pushing you towards them? If not consider this, good and bad routines cost energy. If you are in a bad routine it can be a negative feedback loop to your energy and motivation. A common routine I hear about is drinking an energy drink around 3:00 PM to get through the rest of the work day. As a routine, this does get you energized for the remaining hours of the work day, but the cost is your sleep quality that evening. This is not an equal trade off, as many of you intuitively know. An alternative routine to be more energized at the end of the day is to get your heart pumping once an hour for 5-10 minutes with some light to moderate activity (walking, standing desk, climbing stairs). With this routine, there is no negative consequence to your sleep.
Keeping the right routines and ditching the wrong ones can improve your time management, energy, and well-being. Start with prioritizing your goals and making a decision where in your week you can achieve those goals. Create routines that address your goals and do not cause negative fallout elsewhere in your life. Evaluate your current routines for imbalance and cut out the bad. It is great to be a person who constantly sets goals and strives to grow. Use these routine-setting tips to keep yours fresh and continue moving towards your goals!
Need help getting started? Our trainers would be more than happy to help you find the right routine for you! Let’s get started today!