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There are all sorts of reasons to fall out of a workout routine. Don’t focus on the bad. Focus on how to get back into your gym routine instead.

Nobody is perfect. We’re all human, and life can often get in our way.

You can have the best workout routine in the world for you, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to stick to it 100% of the time. You may suffer an injury, get ill, or go away on vacation. Sometimes, you just can’t get there because life likes to throw curveballs.

This doesn’t mean you have to give up. You just need to get back into that workout routine. It’s going to be a little difficult for some, but it’s not going to be impossible.

Stop making excuses to yourself

There are times that you need to take a day off from your routine. Just this week, I couldn’t make it on a day that is usually one of my Pilates classes. My car needed to get into the garage, I had a press junket for work, and I’d arranged a couple of other meetings. Everything clashed and something had to give. My workout* routine was the least important of the lot.

However, it’s easy to make excuses instead of having a genuine reason. You may not feel like it, or you may feel like you could do with a day off. Maybe you think you have too much work, or you think it will be too busy by the time you do go.

You need to stop making excuses. Deep down you know the difference between excuses and reasons. Fight back against the excuses, because you will feel better when you get into your routine.

Remember your why when it comes to your workout routine

Sometimes, you need to remember why you decided to do something. Why did you sign up to the gym in the first place? Why is your workout so important to you? It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about your why. This is all about what motivates you to stick to your routine.

For me, it is about weight. Not so much what the scales say—although they do play a part—but about the way I feel in my looks. I’m focused on specific body parts right now (and not my legs for a certain someone who may be reading this and thinks she got to me), and that’s what keeps me motivated with my weight training and swimming.

Cardio helps boost my mood, so that’s another reason why. If I feel low, I tend to push myself to head to the gym. It does make me feel better afterward.

As you start to remember the reasons why, you start to get back into your routine.

MORE: Why you need to stop weighing yourself daily

Push yourself for six weeks in your workout routine

It takes six weeks to get into a routine. It doesn’t take long to lose it, though! So, each time you need to get back into a workout routine, you’ll need to push it for six weeks. Stay determined and make sure you stick to your plan as much as possible.

Once you get into your routine, you’ll start to look forward to it. It becomes part of who you are, and you’ll find it much easier to stick to. Even if you don’t feel 100% one day, you’ll find that you feel better as you get into and stick to that routine.

Reward yourself as you get back into the routine. You could buy a new book or get a treat from the coffee shop. You could even treat yourself to a few minutes in the sauna or with a hot bath at the end of the night. The rewards for a good job will help to keep you motivated to stick to that routine each day.

Get someone to keep you accountable

While it is important to be accountable to yourself, that’s not always easy. Sometimes, you just need someone else to keep you in check. This is why so many people in business or with creative hobbies talk about having accountability partners.

It’s time to get someone for your gym routine*. This person doesn’t need to go to the gym with you. They could just be someone who checks in with you to see how the session went. Be honest with them if you didn’t go.

Of course, having someone go with you can be a lot more encouraging to stick to a routine. So, don’t be afraid to ask for a friend to be a workout buddy. You may even find someone in the gym, or you could opt for hiring a personal trainer to help.

MORE: How often should you go to the gym each week?

What do you do when you fall out of your workout routine? Share in the comments below.