Oops, I missed my scheduled activities last week. What can I do differently next time?
Getting healthy, being active, sticking with it day-in, day-out… It's hard! Something always seems to come up when you’re just about ready to get to it. Then, the day continues, there are more things to get done, and it just doesn’t happen. Opportunity lost.
I’ve been there. Many times. Too many.
Missing one workout might seem insignificant, but it can easily start a ripple effect, especially for habits we are still working on. It has for me before also. Like a wall, a single broken or missing brick can be the eventual undoing of a stable foundation. That’s why we take missing scheduled activities seriously and have put together a quick reflective exercise to help you through it. It works. It makes a difference when workouts are missed - for any reason.
Scheduling conflicts are prone to happen; that’s life. We all have to miss workouts here and there, especially when we are trying to change our lives and introduce something new, like regular physical activity, into our routines.
Most people encounter this on their get-healthy journey; this quick and simple reflective exercise will help you stay on track and find solutions for when problems do arise. It’s basically the healthy habits version of Conflict Resolution 101. Here’s how it works:
1. “What caused me to miss my activity?”
First, after unexpectedly missing a scheduled activity, reflect on the question, “What caused me to miss my activity?”
So what was it? Did it take longer than planned to finish the housework? Kids get home early? An unexpected phone call? Whatever it may be, think about it and take note. Even better, write it down.
2. “What could I do differently next time?”
Knowing what caused you to miss your activity, you can then ask yourself, “What could I do differently next time so this doesn’t happen?”
There are three possible answers to this question. The one that works best for you depends on your circumstances.
Just move the workout. Find a better time slot, especially if the conflict is likely to recur. It’s that easy. For example, unfortunately it’s pretty difficult to exercise and prepare supper simultaneously. Is it possible to do more of the prep in advance to free up some time around when I prefer to workout? Or do I need to find a time for my activity that’s not so close to when my kids get home?
Have a pre-planned backup time that you can easily reschedule your activity to in the event of a conflict. The kids go to bed at 8 p.m; does it work for you to move your yoga or run to this time, in the event of a conflict? If not, maybe you can set a backup time the following morning. The great thing about this option is you have the chance to get some additional exercise during this time even if you don’t miss your previous activity.
Adjust your priorities and move physical activity up the list. Much like eating, it’s important for us to see exercise as an essential part of our lives and necessary for maintaining our health. If phone calls or mobile notifications are getting in the way of your workouts, maybe consider putting your device on silent or airplane mode while you get your 30-minute activity in.
In summary:
With fixed or recurring conflicts, if you cannot change the conflict then change your workout schedule to avoid it altogether.
Have an alternative planned time slot, just in case a scheduled workout runs into a conflict.
Look at priorities - should exercise be more of a top priority?
In thinking about your answer to the question “what could I do differently?” You may realize that your goal is too ambitious. Are you trying to go from one workout per week to five? Are you trying to add to many other new habits at once?
Your end goal might be five 30-minute workouts per week. But, if you are only doing one a week currently, your immediate goal should be to get to two or three workouts before trying to fit in more. Smaller steps makes climbing the mountain easier!
Refining our goals is a crucial part of our health journeys. The more specific our goals are, the better chance we have of reaching them. This is why everyone creates a contract with themselves when they join GoGetFit that they can revisit and adjust it from time to time. It’s vital that your commitment contract to yourself is always relevant and up to date.
3. Finalize a backup plan
The third and final step in this reflective exercise is to finalize your backup plan. Now that you’ve chosen one of the previous options, when you think about this conflict happening again, what will your plan be? If your backup plan is effective, you should know exactly how you’ll make up a workout should you happen to miss it.
Lastly, and most importantly, whenever life throws us a curveball that conflicts with our scheduled activity (or backup plan), we need to make sure we still do something to keep our habit going. Getting stuck in traffic might eat up most of the time you have for your jog, but you can still put your shoes on and go out for five minutes. You’re not failing at getting 30-minutes of exercise; you’re succeeding at getting five minutes as well as keeping alive the habit you’ve worked so hard on.
