Good morning, friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend. Today I want to talk to you about how to bounce back after falling off track – because we’ve all been there.

The Weekend

But first, I’d love to share a few snippets of my weekend with you! Feel free to skip to the title heading below if you don’t care 😉

I started my morning off on Friday with a 4-mile run, and then got down to business. Between my online boot camp starting next week – and prep week beginning this week, new online VIP one-on-one clients starting up, and articles due for some external publications, FOCUS was the name of the game. I am really really trying to prioritize and be more realistic about my workload during the week these days, so that my weekends aren’t filled with work wherever I can fit it in.

One thing I’ve been really meditating over lately is what’s worth it for the hustle – and what’s not so worth it. Spoiler alert: a pretty heavy blog post is coming later this week 😉  Anyway, to me, weekends are (primarily) for enjoying time with loved ones, relaxing, and adventure, and I’m happy to say (save for a few hours Saturday morning) I accomplished that goal 😉

Saturday I headed to Fort Collins and spent the entire day outside.

Living in Boulder County, Fort Collins and Denver are about the same distance away from my house – 45 minutes or so – but I enjoy Fort Collins so SO much more. Less traffic, better vibes (I’m not much of a city girl) great views, and great brews. A couple weekends ago I went to Horsetooth Reservoir, and made a promise to myself that I’d make a better effort of getting up here more often.

Saturday night, Shane and I joined our good friends, Bob & Megan and Kati & David for dinner and drinks. Such a fun night with some truly good people.

Then Sunday was all about getting outdoors again – a couple girlfriends and I decided to take a roadtrip back up to FoCo to play in the reservoir and go hiking. We even made a pitstop and bought matching (tiny) inner-tubes!

Rocking the side bun, too. It was quite amusing, a ton of fun, and lots of memories were made. (I posted lots more snaps on my snapchat – TrainerPaige)

I hope you had a great weekend, too! I’d love to hear your favorite thing you did in the comments 🙂

Now – let’s talk about how to bounce back after falling off track.

How to Bounce Back after Falling Off Track

It’s happened to all of us. We set some goals to lean out a bit, or maybe just dial in on our nutrition and workouts to feel better. We make some changes to our daily eats, maybe a couple tweaks to our workouts, and have the best of intentions.

Then…we have a 4-day holiday weekend where it begins-  and ends – with margaritas and french fries. Not to mention the workouts start to drop off.

We’re not talking one “off plan” meal, but rather a series of poor choices in regards with the goals and actions we just set as our intentions. Come Monday (or Tuesday,) we feel pretty terrible – and maybe a little (or a lot) guilty.

To be completely transparent, when my parents visited me for a week, we ate out every single night, drank every single day, and my workouts were shortened in order to account for as much time as possible to be spent with my mom and dad before they headed back to Florida. When they left, sure, I felt a little bloated, probably gained a couple pounds, and felt a touch lethargic. In all honesty, for about 5 minutes, I harped on myself, lamenting about my lack of moderation, and instead going “all out.”

But then, I quickly snapped myself out of it because:

A) that doesn’t help…not one iota’s worth

and

B) who really cares? I can easily get back to my normal routine. The bloating will dissipate. And I felt completely back to myself after a mere three or four days.

So, if guilt, shame, self-body shaming, and disgust is NOT the answer, what is? How do we get back ‘on track’ after falling ‘off track?’

First, the MOST important part is to truly realize that you actually have NOT “fallen off track.” I hate this black and white thinking that we are either “on track” or “off track.” It not only perpetuates binge eating and shame, but it also leads to complete cycles of making choices that align with your goals, and then a string of making poor choices for your goals. When is reality, all we are doing is making choices. There’s no need to attach a certain emotion with these choices. It’s just the ebb and flow of life, which includes our nutrition and exercise!

I guess this makes the title of this blog post a bit tongue in cheek, but the reality is, that so many of us do think of it as falling off track, or off the wagon.

Ok – so back to what to do instead.

When you fall off track, here’s how to bounce back and start moving in the direction toward your goals again.

5 Ways to Bounce Back After Falling Off Track

1. Realize that you did NOT “undo” all of your hard work by 3-4 days worth of debauchery.

I promise most of it is just bloating, and will dissipate by week’s end of normal eating and workouts.

2. Give validation to your feelings, but also QUESTION them.

Did you “blow it?” Or did you simply eat a burger and fries? Question your judgments and emotional responses toward yourself until you just get down to the actions – with no judgment attached.

3. What can you learn from the experience?

So, eating fries with every meal or ending each day with sugary desserts made you feel a little crappy. What’s one way you can still enrich your experiences while still staying aligned with your goals next time? Could you share a dessert with the table, rather than getting individual pies? etc.

Or, maybe now you can identify some triggers, and ways to sideline those triggers in the future? Binge on a jar of peanut butter? Pitch it, or grab the single serving packets. Can’t stop with rose? Switch to club soda or La Croix next time.

4. Re-frame – or re-focus your goals.

Oftentimes we derail from our goals and plans because our goals are simply not realistic. If this is the case, it’s time to get back to the drawing board and write some new goals. Ones that you’re 90% or more sure you can achieve if you work hard at them.

5. Remind yourself of your motivation.

Why did you set these goals in the first place? Make sure you keep your “WHY” at the forefront of your mind at all times. Chances are, when you took that first action, whether it’s signing up to work with a trainer or coach, or making habit changes, your motivation was high. Keep that feeling fresh in your mind.

6. Find support and accountability.

While I don’t necessarily focus the accountability group in my online boot camps as being one of the main features, it *always* ends up being a surprising huge bonus for the participants. Having a group of like-minded women to check-in with, who go through the same struggles and triumphs as you, who can lift you up and encourage you when you need it, and celebrate your wins with you, is ha-yuuuge.

Additionally, having a trainer or coach who you know will be checking in with you and on your side can truly boost not only your chance of reaching your goals, but also make the journey a heck of a lot less painful.

There are only 4 spot left in my online boot camp that starts July 25th, and registration closes on Wednesday night. If you’re on the fence of whether this program is a good fit for you right now, click HERE to request more information, and I’ll be in touch with you ASAP. XO