Why being on Autopilot is actually a good thing
Being on autopilot often gets a bad rap. We usually think of it from a driving perspective, maybe one day you’re driving home from work, exhausted and you stop and think “how did I even get home?”. Or maybe you’re on autopilot in life in general and you feel you’re not really present, you are just going through the motions each day. This leads to a negative thought process when we hear the term ‘autopilot’.
When I think of autopilot I like to think of my habits and my routines. Think of moving about the kitchen when cooking or packing lunches for your littles. You do this daily with ease. You know where everything is and you maybe even do things in the same order day in and day out. But if you are on vacation and in a new kitchen everything is different. Or if you move, it’s all new and it throws your routine off and all the sudden the tasks are taking you 10xs longer than normal.
Same with ladies putting on their makeup, you most likely do everything in the same order each morning, until you’re feeling off one day and then everything is out of whack and you feel like you don’t know what you’re even doing and it’s harder. Everything takes longer on days like these when you’re out of your routine. Not only does everything FEEL harder, but you end up expending more energy and mental space navigating your way through.
When you create habits/routines where you can go on autopilot it makes life so much easier because you aren’t using all your extra brain power. So when you are moving through the kitchen, putting on your makeup, or even showering you do it without thinking twice, you’re on autopilot, and not using extra brain power. The goal is to get to a similar place with your fitness and nutrition. If you can manage to establish the routine of waking up early to get your workout in it no longer becomes something you spend time and energy thinking about. You just do it. Alarm goes off and off you go -- autopilot style!
If you can get to the point where your fitness and nutrition routines become so habitual you are able to go on autopilot, you’re set. That is when you don’t have to worry about falling off track.
Below are my top 3 habits that I recommend everyone start with for your fitness and nutrition routines:
Wake up earlier and have a morning routine. Establish what you want your morning to look like. If you wake up and everything is a rush it leaves you feeling flustered and in chaos. If you establish a routine it sets the mood for the whole day. This routine does not have to be working out. It can be taking 10 minutes to yourself to drink your coffee, or spend time with God, or meditation. Whatever your jam is, make it your routine!
Meal planning + food prep. This does not have to be hard! If you know me at all, you know the kitchen is not where I like to spend my time. I want to be in and out, and I want it to be easy. Most of my clients spend an hour or less planning and prepping their meals for the entire week. It doesn’t have to be hard. Just a little bit of forethought on what you’re going to be eating for the week will go a long way.
Schedule your exercise. This doesn't necessarily require that you are following a specific exercise program. (Doing or not doing a specific program really depends on your goals). This can simply be purposeful daily movement. This can be getting in 10,000 steps/day by walking your dog. Going to a barre class because that’s where your support system comes from. Or going to a kickboxing class to take out ALL the frustrations from your stressful day.
While these steps are very practical they can be difficult to implement without accountability and support. If you would like to learn more about how I can support you in implementing a new, healthier lifestyle CLICK HERE.