The Relay: Ready, Set, Refresh!

by Nicole Lockhart, Contributor

Sometimes, life demands a change of pace. After setting new habits and pursuing new fitness goals, you can often hit a place where you start to plateau, or your previous excitement for this new challenge may wane. Whether you’re hitting a plateau, or your best New Year’s efforts never quite took hold, staying dedicated to our health and wellness is a lifestyle commitment that will always need refreshing.

One way to stay committed to your lifestyle level-up is by jumpstarting your confidence with a routine refresh. Check out these tips to reboot your routine when you’re in the middle of a fitness rut.

Try Something New

It’s tempting to stick with the familiar when you’ve developed a comfortable system for yourself. What would it look like if you got up an hour earlier and dedicated yourself to working out before anything else in life could sidetrack you? When was the last time you took a challenging run in the hilly part of town? Allowing your fitness routine to be a place of exploration and self-discovery will re-ignite the excitement in your workout.

Take this as a sign to go try that new boxing class that keeps popping up on your feed, or to join the local run club you keep hearing about. Dust off that bike in the garage with flat tires or download a new workout app. The key is to embrace the switch-up by making sure your next workout looks different than the last.

Look Good, Feel Good

Retire that same old t-shirt and shorts and give your workout wardrobe a refresh. A 2012 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggested that clothing influences behavior and attitudes because it can carry a symbolic meaning. What you wear, then, can subconsciously change both your mood and behavior. In short, sometimes you have to look your best to feel your best.

For runners, that mood boost is often about new running shoes. The new HOKA Kawana shoe gets top marks in our book for its fashion-forward design. The style comes in four unique colors that both men and women will feel comfortable sporting on their next run. With a crash pad designed to give you extra cushion and spring in your stride, this cross-terrain sneaker is sure to give runners the boost they need to step out and step it up.

Milestones Build to Bigger Goals

Maybe it’s been a while since you had a reason to train consistently. Giving yourself an achievable goal will help take the mundane patterning out of your routine. Create a plan on your calendar like running in an upcoming local race or hitting a new milestone by a specific date. Markers like shortening your mile time, running a set number of miles in a month, or working out a certain number of days in the week can help you find your motivation towards a larger goal when you’re in a rut. Accepting these “micro-challenges” can help you prove to yourself your ability to achieve something great in the coming months.

Get Accountable

One of the main reasons we often fall behind on our commitments to new habits is the lack of accountability. When it’s hard to find the motivation or your runs just feel stale, tap into your support system and share your struggles with your community.

RUNGRL created the GRLs Run Together Guide to help you find your circle of accountability and to foster community amongst your fellow runners. In addition to having a peer group, consider one-on-one coaching or a trainer to kee. This could be the year to consider investing in your fitness or taking a hobby to the next level. If you’re not ready to take the leap into private sessions, a simple way to find motivation is to beef up your social media page. By following fitness gurus and influencers who make you feel motivated and inspired (not those who focus solely on appearances or negative reinforcement), you’ll be reminded in moments of doubt that the health you aspire to have is achievable.

It only takes a single choice to break your old patterns and begin to try something new. A refresh is all about looking at your workout differently and reframing how we relate to our health goals. Now is always a good time to reexamine your perspective. Shake things up in the months ahead, knowing that you deserve to feel energized and inspired by your fitness routine.