Need A Post-Vacation Reset? Here’s How To Get Back On Track With Your Health Goals ASAP

Going on a much-needed vacation can be the relaxation reset we all need in our lives, but what happens to our health goals while we’re soaking up the sun on a beach or enjoying a mountain view? When you come home, you might be staring at a pile of dirty laundry or dishes in the sink, but you’re probably also confronted with the health goals you’ve neglected for a week or two. Here’s how to get back on track with your health goals ASAP.

Be Realistic

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won’t deadlift a hundred pounds the first time you try either. A vacation can offer up amazing clarity as far as what you need to accomplish, and this kind of mindset can be used to your benefit. Approach your goals with realism instead of idealism. Approaching your health goals by tackling them day by day instead of looking at the big picture will ensure you don’t get bogged down by feeling overwhelmed by the task ahead of you. You can even make smaller goals to help you get to the bigger one, like scheduling X number of miles per day or X amount of time in the gym. Daily work will add up by the end of the week, and you’ll probably be surprised that so little can add up to so much.

Get Organized

Make a to-do list of what needs to be done to help get you back on track. Whether it’s cleaning the house or running errands, sorting through the responsibilities that are crowding your mind can help tasks seem more manageable and your goals more attainable. A clear space begets a clear mind, and you probably won’t accomplish much if you’re constantly thinking about the chores or responsibilities that piled up during vacation.

Take Inventory of Yourself

It’s true that self-help and social media psychology haven’t really done much for our collective mental health – in fact, they’ve probably made things worse. With everyone badgering us to be even more self-absorbed and introspective, it can be hard to find honest, authentic reflection within ourselves. But even with that in mind, your health starts first and foremost in your head. Journaling each day or having quiet time with yourself after waking up can help us be better equipped emotionally to approach our day. Meditation or prayer can help us quietly tune in to our mood, attitude, thoughts, desires, and misgivings. Even if it’s as simple as saying, “I feel excited about today” or “I know I can accomplish whatever is in front of me,” can put you in the right attitude to confront your goals.

Enlist Help

It can be really hard to keep ourselves accountable, and that goes double for anything we’re trying to accomplish physically. Whether it’s your spouse, your sibling, or even strangers in a Facebook group, don’t be afraid to ask others for accountability. With a partner or a dedicated group, you can keep track of yourself and help others with their goals too. And besides, exercising is much more enjoyable with a friend than just by ourselves.

Cook More at Home

Saving restaurant meals for special occasions and cooking at home instead has more benefits than you probably thought. Not only is it good for your household budget and bank account, but cooking more meals at home is the perfect way to eat healthier. Plus, you can get the whole family involved in the process and make mealtimes a creative bonding experience. Cooking at home is a simple, cheap, and fun way to get inspired and excited about productivity, and you get a great meal at the end of it. It's a win-win.

Have a “Work in Progress” Perspective

Some would say that life isn’t necessarily about the destination but the journey, and your goals should take that perspective as well. You might not be much happier or more satisfied if you were skinnier or more fit, but you can achieve satisfaction from working at something day after day, and not only that, but committing yourself to it wholeheartedly. Everyone is a work in progress at something, and just because all your problems won’t magically be solved by losing weight or working out doesn’t mean there’s no merit in having these goals. It won’t put money in your wallet or give you the perfect life, but there is happiness to be derived from simply sticking to something and not worrying about the end result, but enjoying the process.

Don’t Rely Only on Willpower

If any of us relied solely on motivation to do anything, would all the things we dislike doing ever get done? Not at all. Relying only on willpower for your health goals is one of the biggest mistakes we can make, and why so many of us seem to feel that as passionate as we are about XYZ, we never seem to stick to it or make any progress. A large majority of the time, we have to talk ourselves into being motivated, not rely on motivation to get us there. This means being active when we don’t feel like it, being honest with ourselves when we don’t feel like it, and generally showing up to life’s more unpleasant periods when we’d rather stay home. 

Most of All, Be SMART

The SMART system of creating and sticking to goals is motivational wisdom we can all use at one time or another. The acronym advocates for making goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. You likely won’t save a million dollars in a year, no matter how much you scrimp and save. But you can save a practical amount each week, which will eventually add up to a sizable sum. In the same way, you may have certain fitness or mental health objectives, and using this system is a pragmatic and productive way to effect real change in your life. Goals don’t need to be grandiose to be important to us or to change our habits and day-to-day life. All it takes is something small that we can pinpoint, measure, and toil away at to see fruitful and beneficial results. 

Closing Thoughts

Giving ourselves permission to relax and unwind can be difficult for some of us, but for others, getting back to the grind can be even harder. You might feel delirious in a post-vacay haze, but your goals will still be there waiting for you to tackle when you come back from a break. Goals are important for both our physical and mental health and our self-esteem, and if there’s something attainable out there that we want, there’s nothing stopping us from going after it. 

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