There can be many reasons your normal exercise routine is interrupted. Regardless of how committed you may be to hitting the gym, your morning running routine, or attending your Zumba class three times a week, life can throw a roadblock in your path. Job and family commitments can pull you away from your normal fitness program. Injury or other medical issues can side-line you, as well.

There are only 24 hours in anyone’s day, and try as you might, you are not always going to control the outcome of how those hours are used. The unexpected happens to everyone at one time or another. While you may not be able to avoid it, you can lessen the impact your fitness downtime has on your healthy goals.

Don’t allow the absence of your standard exercise program to carry over into other areas of your life. Not exercising is not a license to abandon every healthy practice in your life. If you can’t commit your usual hour of exercise, can you commit to 15 minutes? If you can’t run, can you walk? If you can’t go to the gym, can you take the stairs instead of the elevator at the office? If a leg injury has you down, can you still work your arms? Don’t trade your hour at the gym for an hour at the bar with friends. Don’t focus on what you can’t accomplish. Look for something you can do. Small efforts produce large results. Your normal exercise program burns calories. Less exercise means lower calorie burn. Alter your diet accordingly. More fruits and vegetables, less bread and pasta, and plenty of additional hydration in non-caloric form will help to counterbalance those calories you aren’t burning through exercise. If your exercise hiatus is due to a medical condition, talk to your doctor about your limitations. Doctors understand the importance of exercise, so they want you to be as active as your condition allows. They can give you both guidelines and permission to find the right fitness level for you during your recovery time. When you can’t go to the gym, fill that time productively. Read that book you’ve been wanting to read, work on other hobbies, or interact with friends to maintain a positive attitude. Don’t let temporary physical limitations affect your outlook on life. Keeping your mental state healthy will help you pass the time until you can return to your regular fitness program. If your fitness program is being negatively impacted by excessive work or career obligations, it may be time to take a step back and determine exactly what matters to you in life. Remember that no job is more important than your health, and you won’t be at the top of your career game if you aren’t at the top of your physical condition. Learn to apply balance in your life.

It’s an almost guaranteed fact of life that your best-laid plans will be disrupted at one time or another. In the chaos of everyday life, everything has a place and everything is important. When the inevitable roadblock in your fitness program hits, take time to re-evaluate where you are and where you want to be. Never throw up your hands and give up. Work through the delays while trying to minimize the backsliding effects of not participating in your usual fitness program. You can get back on track in a reasonable amount of time.