Author: Susie Nelson | Owner of The Cycling Yogi
OK, so…here’s the thing. I am not good at a lot of things.
However, I am very good at:
-overscheduling myself
-overcommitting
-pushing buttons
-thinking I can do basically anything (this has been physically proven…incorrect)
-sarcasm at wildly inappropriate times
…and maintaining a consistent movement routine.
For the last 5–6 years, I’ve moved my body 5–7 days a week.
Yoga, sculpt, something. Even on “off” days, I’ll walk, stretch…do something.
It’s my thing.
Not always convenient.
Not always exciting.
Definitely not always what I feel like doing.
But I know myself well enough to know this:
If I stop… the wheels come off.
(And for those of you who have seen me with my “wheels on” and thought, “wow… she’s a lot…”Just trust me—you don’t want to see me without them 😂)
So… March?
Total. Sh*t. Show.
And the funny thing is, it didn’t happen all at once.
It never does.
It started with missing one class on a Monday.
Which turned into, “I should really finish what I started yesterday” on Tuesday.
Then I got a little sick…
Which turned into a full-blown sinus situation where Down Dog was absolutely not happening.
Then a couple more days off…
Then a midweek breakfast invite (and I’m sorry…eggs benedict and a bloody mary at 10am? I’m not made of stone).
And just like that…I was out.
I finally made it back to class this week and WOW.
The noises my body made in my first Down Dog were… concerning.
Like…are the ceiling tiles coming down?
Or are those my knees? Unclear.
And it got me thinking…What the hell just happened?
And more importantly…Why is it SO hard to get back once we stop?
Here’s the answer:
It’s not missing one class that gets you.
It’s the story that follows it.
“I’ll go tomorrow.”
“I’ll start fresh next week.”
“I’ve already fallen off… so what’s a few more days?”
And suddenly…
A few days becomes a few weeks.
A few weeks becomes a season.
And here’s where I’m going to lovingly call you out (because I just lived this):
We’re heading into the time of year where life gets… chaotic.
May hits and suddenly:
-every school has a “project of the year”
-every weekend is booked
…and your friends without kids decide this is the perfect time to get married
(we love them… but also… why May??)
Then summer rolls in.
Schedules shift. Routines loosen. Travel happens.
And just like that…the consistency you worked so hard to build? Gone.
So what do we do?
We don’t aim for perfect.
We aim for momentum.
Because momentum is the real magic.
It’s not about crushing every workout.
It’s about not letting the gap get too big.
Even when it’s messy.
Even when it’s inconvenient.
Even when it’s a 30-minute, “this is all I’ve got today” situation.
Because here’s what I was reminded of this week: It is SO much easier to keep going than it is to start again.
And if you’ve fallen off a bit? Good news.
There’s no dramatic comeback required.
You don’t need a Monday.
You don’t need a new month.
You don’t need a whole new plan.
You just need:
One class. One step. One decision to get back in the room.
So if March (or life) knocked you off a little…
Same.
I’m right there with you.
Let’s not wait for perfect timing.
Let’s not wait for motivation.
Let’s just…get back to it.
I’ll be here. (Wheels firmly back on 😉)
