Depending on how long you've been on "the list", recently, I decided to take a break from emailing to you guys.

I won't bore you with the details, because it has nothing to do with the point of this email, plus, it genuinely is actually a really boring reason :)

Anyway, once upon a time, I had a streak of 534 consecutive weekday emails, meaning that since February 2015, I hadn't missed an email... pretty good streak right?

So, after my break from emailing, I made a decision to get back on it, and get back in the habit of emailing regularly (not daily though), again.

I opened up the usual software I use to send my emails and as I was greeted with a blank page.

I cracked my knuckles and put my fingers near the keyboard, ready to type.

10 minutes later, still a blank page.

20 minutes later, yep, nothing. Nada. Hmm... this didn't happen before.

30 minutes later there was still a blank page. So I got up to get a glass of water which would hopefully get the juices flowing.

Then it hit me. I couldn't put letters on the page because I'd broken a habit. For many of us, no matter what it is if we break a habit we find it very difficult to get back on board with it, or it doesn't quite feel... right.

Today I'll be checking in with my clients with kids for the first time since the half term holidays, and they will have had a well-deserved break from tracking their diet over their holidays.

I'm sure they'll be no different to me breaking my email streak.

They will find it difficult to get back on the wagon just as I did with my writing. This is why today I'll be focussing my efforts on getting them back to normal again.

So what are the take-home points here?

1. Consistency is key. The more consistent you were in the first place, the easier it'll be to get back to normal with it after a break.

2. Understand that adherence takes place on a continuum - the all or nothing mindset is absolute rubbish and is toxic. Instead, think about how you can adapt your habits that will still have you on course to your goal, even if you do "less". 

For example, a common one I often have my clients do in busy or difficult periods is tracking calories only rather than macros. Or training 2 times per week instead of 4. Sure, 2 times per week isn't ideal if they normally do 4, but it's certainly better than falling off the wagon completely and doing 0.

3. Set reminders. What once might have been automatic before your break might need a little refresher.

I'm a big fan of setting alarms to remind us to do stuff. This is mega useful in a world where we have so much to remember to do with work, other half, kids etc. that all other stuff falls by the wayside.

Set some alarms on your phone with labels to stop this from happening!

Much love,

JB

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