There are things in life that happen unexpectedly. Sometimes bad things happen and they cause a setback to our fitness progression.

It could be the death of a loved one, the loss of a pet, the end of a relationship or marriage, loss of a job, illness and the like. We may find ourselves feeling gloomy and slacking off on our workouts and indulging in one too many goodies trying to make ourselves feel better. When we start to notice that we’ve gained a few pounds, that we are looking a little mushier in the middle and our clothes aren’t fitting the way they used to then we get upset with ourselves. When this happens you must pick yourself up and keep going. Even if you have to take baby steps it beats giving up altogether. Drag yourself to the gym, try to do 15 minutes and once the ‘feel good’ endorphins start to kick in you may start to feel better and may not want to stop.

You may also want to use this as time to reassess your fitness routine. Maybe you need to shake things up a bit, try something new or just get out and enjoy nature more. Do you like music? Maybe a dance class or DVD is in order. Do you feel that you need to relax more? You could try yoga. A little frustrated? Get your aggression out with kickboxing! Want to feel empowered? Strength training just may do the trick.

Setbacks are a part of life. You’ve put a lot of effort into your fitness journey this far. The last thing you want to do is give up now!