“You’re not likely to crush all your fat loss goals if you’re hitting snooze every morning or not even bothering to set an alarm”

Staying organised and on top of things can be incredibly difficult in a time like this.

There’s an uncertainty all around us that makes some tasks or goals seem inferior or pointless when the world is in a crisis.

Why bother setting an alarm when I don’t even have a job anymore?

Why bother staying in shape when I can’t see people anymore?

The truth is, setting goals and getting yourself in a routine is much more likely to keep you in good physical and mental health – both of which are crucial right now.

When we’re out of this lockdown – which has been dragging on for almost 5 months now – do you want to be further behind? Or do you want to put yourself in a strong position to bounce back?

I’m not saying you have to lose 10kg and build a bunch of muscle in lockdown. I mean, if that’s what you want to do, it’s certainly possible. But maybe a more realistic goal is to stay as active as you can and to eat good foods to support your current lifestyle.

It all starts with routine.

You’re not likely to crush all your lockdown goals if you’re hitting snooze every morning or not even bothering to set an alarm.

The odds of you rolling out of bed at 11am and ticking all the boxes for the day are not that high.

Here’s 4 ways to establish a routine that will help you complete daily tasks to stay on top of your game:

Set an alarm

Instead of staying in bed and scrolling Instagram until 12pm, set an alarm. It doesn’t have to be as early as you used to wake up. Hell, I know I don’t mind setting my alarm for 6am compared to the 4:15am I had to before.

But what it does is get you set for the day. You don’t dawdle all morning. You don’t laze about until 11-12 and finally start moving when half the day is already over.

You get up and at it. Even if it’s as simple as getting up and in the shower, at least it gets your day going.

Go to bed at a reasonable time

Sleep is incredibly important to your health. Staying up to 1am binge-watching Netflix series is doing your sleep no favours.

And if you’ve set an alarm for 8am, watching tv all night won’t leave you much room to keep doing this. Turn the TV off and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Aim to get 7-8+ of sleep each night.

You’ll be much more alert, awake and be able to function at a higher level with more quality sleep.

Walk 30-60mins every day

Exercise is a non-negotiable in a time like this – any time really. As you’ll see next in this list, getting a good workout in 2-5 times p/week is critical.

Even more critical though is walking every day. It’s a non-negotiable.

You’re cooped up inside, you’re not moving much as it is, you can’t afford to sit on the couch or your office chair all day and not get a walk in.

It helps to clear the mind and get the blood flowing.

Try going for a full 60min walk in one hit. Or split it up into 2 x 30min walks – 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.

If you’re working from home, it can even be a great help to split your work day up with a 30-60min walk to reinvigorate yourself for the rest of your work day.

Exercise 2-5 times p/week

As I mentioned above, exercise is crucial right now. It doesn’t have to be a massive sweat-fest every day, though.

Exercise is movement.

It’s stretching, moving, squatting, jumping, running, whatever you like!

You can do whatever suits you best right now for your exercise.

It might even help to shift your focus from your previous goals to something new right now.

If you don’t have the necessary equipment, you can set a mobility goal. You may benefit from stretching more and unlocking new ranges of motion for when you do get back to the gym.

Or maybe you’ve been lifting heavy for a long time but neglecting bodyweight movements, or running.

Try thinking outside the box and focus on areas that will complement your training when you come back to the gym.

Routine is about consistency. It doesn’t matter if you get up at 8am and go for your morning walk 2 days in a row if you blow it off on the 3rd day.

You need to be consistent for longer periods of time. You didn’t form any of the current habits you have right now overnight, and you won’t form new one’s overnight either.

Set yourself targets, create your routine and stick to it.