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Hey guys, welcome to the LinnFit Coaching Podcast and today we’re diving into a specific question I got on social media about how to come out of a rut. I thought this was a really interesting question and I wanted to address it here on the podcast for you guys. So this is a really interesting topic that a lot of people are dealing with this in the back of their minds and maybe as you're listening today you're currently in some sort of a rut. There are larger reasons why we can feel stuck, what is a rut? A Rut is basically, a trench or something. Maybe it's a groove in the road, where you’re driving through it and once you get your tire into it, it's hard to get out of it and still keep control. So there’s lots of different forms of ruts in our lives, and so I wanted to address this question a little bit today in this podcast to see, what rut could you be in related to our health specifically. I’m going to address several different reasons you may feel like you're in a rut and I'm going to talk about those one at a time.
The first reason you might feel like you're in a rut is maybe you are actually exercising and just hit a plateau, and so you feel stuck. You’re like, “I'm not improving anymore, I'm not losing weight anymore, I'm not looking any better any more, I’m not losing any more inches, or I just feel stuck in this routine like I've been doing the same exercise routine for a long time, I’m not hitting any better performance numbers.” If that's the reason you feel like you're in a rut, then maybe it’s time to change up your exercise routine. It’s funny I call it an exercise routine because the more we get into a routine the more our body will adapt to make that your new normal. Your body likes to maintain homeostasis, I talk about this a lot, and if it can find a way to sustain homeostasis then alright you just created a new normal, your body loves that, it adapts to whatever that physical challenge is that you're doing regularly and that becomes a new normal. So you no longer see any improvement unless you sort of overload yourself with a new skill, a new intensity, like resting less, and working harder or longer within a given workout. Changing up your exercise in some way, varying the type of exercise you are doing, the load you are moving, the rest that you get during the exercise, or even the sport that you play in some shape or fashion, can be really big to help you get past that plateau. To a significant degree nutrition may be something that’s limiting you as well, if you're actively exercising, and you're not seeing the results you want. And so taking the time, maybe for the first time, to see how your nutrition may affect you, can be a helpful step to get past that plateau, and keep moving towards your goals.
The second reason you might be feeling like you’re in a rut is maybe you’ve been trying to exercise and eat healthier, but you’ve just been lacking motivation recently. In that case it's really good to consider, “What is holding you back? What's preventing you from having any motivation?” find your why. Why do you exercise? That end outcome, that you want that gives you a reason for doing this regular behavior of exercise, and eating well, and caring about that. Maybe it’s, you want to be healthy in old age, you don't want to be stuck in a wheelchair, you don't want to have to use a cane when you get older. That’s a big motivator for me. Maybe you're trying to compete, if you want to excel in your sport and not settle for less, then that might be your why. That might be enough motivation to say to yourself, “If I'm going to podium in this competition, then I'm going to need to commit to this regular behavior of exercising, and eating well, and recovering well, on a daily basis.” Or maybe your why is more like, “I don't want to get sick on a regular basis, I don’t want to have diabetes someday.” That fear of something you don't want to happen to you might be something that helps motivate you. Or maybe even just something as simple as, “I want to do it with somebody, I want to be a part of a community, I want to join a gym that tries to value and build community.” That can be something that can be a motivating driver for you to do it day in and day out. Even having a buddy or your spouse who's helping you, do it together. Understanding your why by asking “why do I do this, do I do it because it helps me feel connected to people, do I do it for the sake of who I want to be down the road, or what I want to achieve?” Understanding your why can help you renew some motivation.
The next reason why you might feel like you're in a rut is you keep repeating a behavior that you don't like, you want to stop it but you keep doing it and you feel stuck. Maybe for you that’s having a drink too often or drinking too much or maybe there's those certain foods you’re like, “Oh no every time I don't want this I still have it.” It's like don't think about an elephant, ope you’re thinking about an elephant right now aren’t you? So for these behaviors that we don’t approve of, it’s good to think about where they come from. Am I doing this behavior as a coping mechanism for stress? Is this something that I do just to check out and make myself feel better? Is it connected to an old memory or some kind of trauma that I experienced? Something to help me get past that? Is it part of a social community, or peer pressure kind of thing? Understanding where that comes from can help you understand how you might begin to address that. So let’s say you deal with a lot of pressure to drink. Maybe it is a good time to talk with your closest friends or loved ones that are influencing that. And say “Hey, I'm really trying to take better care of myself, and so would you help me, would you come alongside me in doing this?” Or maybe it’s the time to really think about, “will they actually still love me if I didn't?” And so considering that why, considering where that behavior is coming from. If it’s related to stress, what other healthier options actually make me feel good that I can do on a regular basis instead of coping with this unhealthy behavior. Understanding where it comes from can really help you begin to address that obstacle that you keep running into, that makes you feel like you're in a rut.
Next thing that may make you feel like you’re in a rut is maybe you do want to start taking better care of yourself but you feel too busy and unable to fit it in. At this point, let's check out our values and our priorities. What do you value? According to how much you value certain things you are going to give time to that. Even writing them down on a piece of paper is going to be helpful. You can say to yourself, “Alright I want to be this person right now, and I want to be this person five years down the road.” Maybe family is a huge priority for you, or maybe hosting people is a huge priority for you, or taking care of yourself is a really big priority for you. According to what your priorities and values are that’s the way you are going to arrange your life and your schedule. But it may also help you to actually get an objective view of what your schedule is. To do this actually writing down where your time goes for a few days to a week can help. I'm talking, minute by minute. This is a common exercise for leadership to see where your time wasters are. After doing this you can give more time to things that are more valuable to you, that will benefit you in the long run. Maybe you’re spending a lot of time watching TV, or on social media, or picking up random things, or maybe this hobby that you really love is great but you spend a little bit too much time on it, to where it’s taking away from what you truly value. Maybe you're just working a ton and you need to find a way to rest better. By getting familiarity with where your time is going in your schedule you can get a better idea of where you can make some changes or where you can actually fit things in. Maybe you will find that you actually have more time than you thought you did, and you can fit in more of your priorities with some planning. These small ideas can be helpful to start taking better care of yourself, if you feel really busy. And that also goes back to your values and priorities, if you really do value taking care of yourself physically then you might have to make some sacrifices in other things that are lesser priorities to make time for it. It’s something that is a choice, it's something that you have to choose to do everyday to take care of yourself.
Another reason you might feel like you're in a rut is maybe you’re unsatisfied with life. You need to change and you don't know where to start. This is a good chance to evaluate what you're doing in life and what's causing you to feel unsatisfied? Is it the career you’re in? Is it your stage in life? Whatever that may be, what’s making you feel stuck? Why do you feel unsatisfied? It can really help to write this down, so you can see it on paper and say to yourself, “Okay, I need to change some small things.” But I would say small changes are always more achievable than the big massive changes. Maybe it's really big in your mind, it's not that big to other people, but if it's big to you then it’s big. So if you are needing a change then I would say start small. Do one little thing and then try to do that more consistently over time. Maybe it’s just once a week you try it, and then you end up doing it everyday eventually. If you can build on that behavior and build on that little change you might end up doing something a lot bigger that is much more fulfilling, that’s going to help you feel a lot more satisfied with what you are doing.
Another reason you might feel stuck in a rut is, maybe you feel stuck in, where you're at with your friends, or with your overall health. Maybe you’re in a bad health condition. If that is where you're at then you know you might need some professional help. If you're really stuck in the rut, and you really don't know the answers to how to begin to get out of it, some people really want and will benefit from a coach. They need some accountability and that's why people like myself and other Pro coaches are out there, to serve you. Legit good coaches are out there to serve you, and there are so many people out there who are ready to serve you. It’s not a terrible thing to get out and ask for help to improve yourself. It helps you learn, it helps you remake yourself and it's totally worth the investment if it’s going to mean that you're healthier for the long run. It’s going to help you make the changes you need and want to do to become the best version of yourself, to reach the goals you might have, or to live a more satisfied life. I’d definitely encourage you to reach out for help if that’s something that you really need, if you really do feel that stuck I wouldn’t turn to things that are unhealthy or something that’s just going to mask the feelings or the symptoms that you might feel. I’d rather you do the small behaviors, or reach out for the help that you need, in order to get out of that rut. Make the changes that you need, and really sit down right now and evaluate your values and priorities. Who do you want to be? What kind of health do you want to have? And that can really help you understand what you need to do right now to take small steps to living your best life.
Thanks for tuning in today guys. Hope this helped you understand what it means to be in a rut and how you might come out of that. I hope that some of these ideas and things that I was processing out loud for you, can be really helpful for you today. Enjoy today, I’ll catch you on the next one! Let me know what else you would like to hear about, I see all of your messages and questions and things on social media, and even comments on the podcast. Check out our Youtube page as well, we’re trying to bring our best for you. Catch you on the next one guys!