Stuck In A Health Rut: Some Advice

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If you feel like you're stuck in a health rut right now and you don't know what to do about it, then it can be frustrating. You feel like you've tried everything, but nothing is making a difference the way you'd like. If that sounds like you, then this guide will help. It looks at some of the things that you can do to improve your health and change how you feel about it.

Shrink the target

One of the first places you'll want to start is with shrinking the target. Don't aim for an hour at the gym every day. Instead, go for a 10-minute walk. Small changes like this can make your health progress feel more manageable. If you try to do something very big very quickly, then you'll often run out of steam and you won't be able to keep it up consistently.

Likewise, let's say your diet has slipped and you're not eating as healthily as you'd like. Instead of focusing on one meal a day of whole plant foods, you could simply change your breakfast from sugary cereal to oatmeal.

Measure simple things

Sometimes, when we're trying to change our health, we can be overwhelmed by the complexities of it all and focus on all of the complex metrics that modern fitness tracking devices pump out. Measuring something simple can make all of this more manageable and help you stay focused. For example, you could just look at the number of hours you sleep at night or the workouts that you complete each week. Having one number in mind changes the perceived complexity of the process and reduces stress.

Remove friction

If you can remove friction from your daily routine, that's also a good idea. Get rid of anything that might be a drag on your willpower.

Put your workout clothes in places where you can see them, and commit to putting on your training shoes instead of an hour of running.

Make sure all of your healthy foods are visible and convenient.

Try to reduce the amount of processed junk and sweets in your home.

Reduce the reliance you have on motivation by making the healthy option the easiest option.

Almost everybody who sticks to a healthy lifestyle long term applies this approach.

Identify the real bottlenecks

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Lastly, try to identify the real bottlenecks preventing you from getting out of your health rut. For example, perhaps you have a problem with hearing health and it’s preventing you from leaving the home and getting things done that you want to do. In that case, go to the audiologist and get a test. 

Likewise, if you have burnout or unrealistic expectations, identify that thoroughly before trying anything else. Get at the root cause of the issue and see what is driving it.

Focus on being consistent in the short term

Lastly, while it might seem like a misnomer, another thing you can do is focus on being consistent in the short term (maybe two to four weeks). Doing this gives new habits enough time to become automatic.

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