{"id":197748,"date":"2025-01-28T12:57:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=197748"},"modified":"2025-01-30T13:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T13:03:08","slug":"from-knowing-to-doing-be-ready-for-your-worst-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2025\/01\/28\/from-knowing-to-doing-be-ready-for-your-worst-days\/","title":{"rendered":"From Knowing to Doing \u2013 Be Ready for Your Worst Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

Work stress, family obligations, and social commitments are all reasons why many of us get derailed from our routines. It\u2019s not realistic to completely avoid these things, but it\u2019s possible to be ready for days when they come. This is an important skill because a bad day doesn\u2019t just mean missing one training session, a good meal or a night\u2019s sleep \u2013 it\u2019s easy to abandon your healthy habits entirely. Let\u2019s make sure this doesn\u2019t happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The key is to adjust expectations and build some flexibility into your healthy lifestyle. Having an all-or-nothing approach is much more likely to go very poorly after a single bad day. Instead, being able to anticipate and adapt is what will keep you going and return you to your healthy habits quickly. Here are a few strategies that help.<\/p>\n

Define the floor for your habits<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It may sound uninspiring, but when consistency is your struggle, the perfect place to start is to make a goal that sounds pathetic. Ask yourself: What CAN I do on my absolutely worst day?<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s only 5 minutes of stretching or just one extra portion of veggies. The idea is to define the absolute minimum effort: the floor that keeps you engaged with your habits. The reason is that it\u2019s much easier to ramp up an existing habit than build a new one you stopped a long time ago.<\/p>\n

So, when thinking about your healthy habits, don\u2019t just imagine the best days when you\u2019re crushing it, remember to also have a clear picture of what you\u2019re going to do on those days when everything is stacked against you.<\/p>\n

\n
\"from-knowing-to-doing-the-art-of-prioritising\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Health & Training<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

From Knowing to Doing \u2013 The Art of Prioritising<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Turn the dial, don\u2019t flip the switch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To further develop the idea of a floor and a ceiling of your healthy habits, we have to take a look in the middle. There will be plenty of days when you\u2019re not exactly crushing it, but you\u2019re also not at your worst. And that\u2019s when it helps to think of your healthy habits like dials, not on-off switches.<\/p>\n

When things are going well and you have time and energy, turn the dial up. Ride harder, eat better, and optimise recovery. But when life gets in the way, simply dial it down, don\u2019t turn the habit off completely. Maintaining that kind of consistency is what leads to long-term success.<\/p>\n

Build a support system around you<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Willpower can only get you so far. And on those bad days, there\u2019s a shortage of it anyway. If you want to continue \u201cdoing\u201d, you need an environment that nudges you toward the right choices.<\/p>\n

Use triggers<\/strong>. Place your bike helmet by the door to remind you to ride. Leave a water bottle on your desk to encourage hydration. Small cues like that can prompt big changes in behaviour.<\/p>\n

Get rid of obstacles<\/strong>. Prep your cycling gear the night before. Keep healthy snacks in sight and the fridge stocked up on healthy foods. The easier an action is, the more likely you are to follow through.<\/p>\n

Remove distractions and temptations<\/strong>. Delete time-wasting apps, rid the pantry of foods you tend to overeat, and don\u2019t bring your phone to bed.<\/p>\n

A well-designed environment makes the right choices feel effortless even on the hardest days. That\u2019s something you can rely on in the long term.<\/p>\n

Embrace good enough<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Perfectionism is a killer of consistency. If you hold yourself to an impossible standard, you\u2019re setting yourself up for failure. Sure, if you\u2019re trying to win the Olympics and your livelihood depends on your peak physical performance in a race, for example, then you will have to sacrifice a lot to hold yourself to the highest standards. But most of us just need to be consistent in a few basic healthy habits. This is why aiming for \u201cgood enough\u201d is a much better strategy. Those whokeep showing up, even with a pathetic goal in mind on some days, will win out over the long term.<\/p>\n

Redefine success<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Long-term health and fitness aren\u2019t about extremes. They\u2019re about consistency over time. By setting a realistic floor, using a flexible dial system, and designing an environment that supports you, you can take action even on your worst days. No more \u201cI know I should be doing it,\u201d only \u201cI can always do something\u201d from now on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Work stress, family obligations, and social commitments are all reasons why many of us get derailed from our routines. It\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":197551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[8251,5476,8305],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-197748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-from-knowing-to-doing","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-long-term-fitness","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Knowing to Doing \u2013 Be Ready for Your Worst Days - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Work stress, family obligations, and social commitments are all reasons why many of us get derailed from our routines. 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