This is even more apparent when you’re stuck at home for an extended period of time, not able to get out to the gym, and Netflix is beckoning while the food in the refrigerator is calling your name continuously.
The silver lining in this situation is that you’re not alone. Many struggle with staying fit when they’re out of routine, which is why there are so many creative, relatively-easy ways to prevent falling out of shape when your regular routine is no longer relevant.
Here are our 10 favorite ways of maintaining your weight-loss goals when you’re out of your routine:
1. Weight Loss Apps Like Noom
Noom is a weight loss app that’s designed to motivate and cheer you on throughout your weight-loss journey. We love it because it works no matter what your life situation is. Whether you’re in your regular groove or totally off-kilter, Noom is there to ground you.
Here’s how it works: Noom asks users to specify their goals, and then creates a customized weight loss plant to help them achieve those goals. Tools include food and exercise tracking, personalized coaching, group support, customized challenges, and unique incentives. As an app, you can take Noom anywhere, so whether you are stuck at home or at work, you know you have your #1 fan in your back pocket.
The main thing to remember is that during a time when you’re not in your normal routine, Noom can adapt to your lifestyle and help you achieve your goals despite the challenges.
2. Find a Friend
When you’re out of routine, it’s easy to get stressed, overwhelmed, or down in the dumps. These feelings can lead directly to an increase in eating and a decrease in exercise. In this situation, choosing a like-minded friend to talk/write to every day is a good way to keep yourself, and your mood, in check. You can encourage each other in your fitness goals, share tips, and provide a listening ear when things get tough.
3. Take a Healthy Cooking class
Preparing healthy meals has never been easy, but when you’re not in your zone it can be downright difficult. Who has time to peel and dice veggies when you have a Zoom meeting in 10 minutes, your house is upside down, and the kids are fighting over the tablet for the 101st time and it’s only 10:00 in the morning??
To help make cooking healthy a fun, desirable thing to do, consider taking a healthy cooking class. There are plenty available online, and making a monetary commitment means that you’re more likely to stick with it. Plus, a healthy cooking class can give you lots of new ideas, tips, and tricks for creating the kind of meals you want to eat.
4. Meal Delivery Subscription
If you’re too tired or out of sorts to take a healthy cooking class, consider signing up for a meal delivery program, which sends nutritious, ready-to-eat meals right to your doorstep. There are plenty of top meal delivery services to choose from, so whether your usual diet includes eating paleo, keto, gluten-free, or something else, you can find one that suits your needs. If the price is holding you back, keep in mind that you don’t have to do it forever, just until you’re able to get back to your normal self.
5. Home Workouts
If you are practicing social distancing or can’t get to the gym, creating a workout routine at home is a great way to combat being out of your regular routine. There are plenty of ways to work out at home, including walking up and down the stairs (burns more calories than walking!), lifting milk jugs or water bottles instead of weights, even gardening. The one thing that’s important is that you make sure to do one of these things every day.
6. Get a Hobby
Being out of routine can be an unsettling feeling, unless you’re sitting on a beach in Hawaii. Then, it’s just a vacation. But if you’re out of your routine and stuck at home, the temptation to binge-watch Netflix for hours and snack all day can be strong. There’s already talk of the “quarantine 15,” the weight that people gain during the coronavirus-driven quarantine. Acquiring a hobby is a good way to fight the urge to snack and remain stagnant. It’s also a good way to reduce stress, one of the biggest factors that can lead to overeating.
7. Dance
Dancing is a great way to burn calories and boost your mood. In fact, it can be almost therapeutic, which makes it a stellar way to beat weight gain and depression when you’re out of routine. Create a playlist of your favorite songs that will make you want to get up and move, then hit play.
8. Meditate
Top meditation apps are designed to make meditation as easy and accessible as possible. They focus on mindfulness so that you can “Stress less. Move more. Sleep Soundly.” All of the above—stress, movement, and sleep—are connected with weight gain/weight loss, so if you can get a handle on those 3 biggies, you should be able to handle anything.
9. Set Reminders
One of the challenges of staying fit when being out of routine is that time seems to be out of control. One minute it’s 8:00 am, the next minute it’s 2:00 pm. Where did the time go? A good way to prevent time running away from you is to set reminders. Your reminders can be at the time you need to exercise, check in with your friend, track your food, etc. Whatever it is you need to do, set a reminder to make sure you do it. To set a reminder, choose the method that works for you—an organizational app, a digital assistant, Google, or simply an alarm on your phone.
10. Create a Routine
While creating a routine may seem like a funny solution for staying fit when you’re not in a routine, hear us out. It’s true, you’re not doing school drop-off or pick-up anymore, you’re not going into the office, and you’re not able to get to the gym. But just because your regular routine has been turned upside down doesn’t mean you can’t create a new routine for this temporary time. Creating (and sticking to) a routine can give you that sense of security and normalcy you crave. This can make it easier to stick to your regular healthy eating routine and workout regimen.
It’s All A Matter of Perspective
Being out of your normal routine or being stuck at home is hard, plain and simple. If this situation was forever, it would indeed feel hopeless. But the good news is that being out of a routine is temporary, not a permanent situation. So if you can tell yourself to hang on for just a little bit longer, it can help you get through the tough times you’re in. True, it’s extremely challenging when you don’t know how long your discomfort will last, but this is exactly why it’s so important to work on your weight-loss goals.
