When life interrupts your new habits, the real test isn’t the blip — it’s what you do next.
It’s funny. If you said to me at the start of the year that I’d go a week without exercise and I’d be stir-crazy I’d have laughed in your face. Or thought you mad. Probably both, actually.
A sprained ankle, a week of illness, and what I learned about the version of myself that moves
I made a promise to myself that 2026 would be the year of ‘Pilates and Parkrun’. I sprained my ankle over new year, so I’ve not yet been to Parkrun, but I’ve been doing reformer pilates weekly since the beginning of January. Add to that, I started a 28-day challenge 3 weeks ago and exercise has become something that I almost look forward to. Or at least not hate!
My 28-day challenge was always going to take longer than 28 days – the days I do reformer pilates I don’t do a class and when I’m in the office, I’m happy to see how I feel when I get home. I’ve usually done 10,000 steps and I’m OK with ‘just’ doing that.
Because showing up for yourself — even when it’s hard — is exactly the point.
So why is this the subject of my blog this week? Because in the matter of a few short weeks, once we make a commitment to ourselves, we can see the changes to our lives and then not doing the thing anymore, it’s easy to stop.
I felt poorly for most of last week and not only did I not exercise, I didn’t eat as well as I have been doing for weeks. I’m an emotional eater, and whilst not wallowing, I fully gave myself permission to take each day as it came and if I wanted something I would happily have it.
Sometimes the goal isn’t the workout. It’s proving to yourself you’ll come back.
After 5 days, however, I felt a lot better, and I noticed that I missed exercise and I wanted to get back to my challenge. It would have been easy to just give up. To think I’d already not done anything for 5 days, so really, what would another day be, but I didn’t want that. The sun was out, I felt good in myself and I like the version of myself that moves. So I pulled on my workout gear, fired up the tv and 30 minutes later, despite feeling shattered, was super proud of myself for getting back onto the horse, as it were.
It’s so easy, when we’re trying something new, or getting into a habit, to stop. Or if we do stop, because, well, life, to just give up. But there’s something inside us that reminds us why we’re doing the thing, what our goal is, and if that’s powerful enough, then yes, we can have a blip, but then we go back to the habit and keep doing it.
Five days off, one tough Friday session, and a reminder of why we do this.
Friday’s workout was tough – because I had been ill, but also because it had been 6 days since I’d done anything at all, but I’m super proud of myself for doing it and showing up for myself. And that’s what starting a new habit, or going after a goal is. It’s showing up for yourself. Doing something you want. Or, in my case, doing something I’m not that keen on, so I can have a strong, functioning body as I get older.
If you’re getting started with a new habit, or have paused it and are not sure if you want to give up or go back to it, ask yourself how will you feel when you reach the goal? When the thing you’re doing becomes second nature. And then ask if that is better than not doing it now. Because if it’s what you really want, then it’s time to dig in, pull on your virtual workout gear and do it. You’ll feel so much better for it and be glad that you did.