As I’m writing this in May 2026, we’ve just had a ridiculously hot few days for May, with temperatures approaching 33 degrees for two or three days in a row.
And we all know what that means in the UK.
Poor sleep.
Hot, stuffy buildings.
Feeling too warm to do anything.
Everyone’s brains melting.
It’s not much fun.
And, perhaps unsurprisingly, when the weather gets like this, our routines often go out of the window too.
Currently, I’m on a bit of a health kick as I’ve been trying to lose some of the perimenopausal weight gain that seems to have appeared over the past few months. I’d been getting into a good routine with both my exercise and my eating.
Then the heat arrived.
Suddenly I wasn’t exercising in the same way. I wasn’t eating the same way. Everything felt a little bit harder and a little bit less structured.
And it would have been very easy to look at that and think I’d somehow failed.
But the reality is that life happens.
Sometimes it’s hot weather.
Sometimes it’s a busy week at work.
Sometimes it’s a sick child.
Sometimes it’s illness, a family problem, a holiday, or a major life event.
We are not machines, and life doesn’t happen like clockwork.
So when our routines fall apart, what should we do?
1. Control The Damage
The first thing is to accept that sometimes we are going to go off track.
The goal isn’t necessarily to prevent that completely. Sometimes that’s unrealistic.
Instead, try to make conscious decisions about how far off track you’re willing to go.
For example, you might decide:
- I’m on holiday and I’m going to enjoy myself without worrying too much about food and exercise.
- It’s extremely hot for three days and I’m going to focus on getting through it rather than sticking rigidly to my normal routine.
- My child is unwell and my priority right now is simply getting everyone through the week.
Making a conscious choice is very different from feeling like everything has fallen apart.
Then depending on the energy, time and brain space available make a decision on how far off track you are going to go.
It might be:
– Totally off track due to holiday, life events or illness.
– Just not exercising that much because my week is crammed full of appointments and event.
– It’s too hot, I’m going to eat what I want.
And even if things do go completely off track, that’s okay.
The important thing is recognising that this is a temporary phase rather than a permanent change.
2. Decide When You're Getting Back On Track
For me, that point came yesterday.
The weather was a little cooler, so I managed a short workout.
I started returning to some of my usual ‘ancor’ meals and routines.
Nothing dramatic.
No complete life overhaul.
Just a gentle return to the things that normally help me feel well.
One of the traps people often fall into is deciding that because they’ve gone off track, they might as well give up entirely.
But getting back on track doesn’t require perfection.
It just requires a decision.
You don’t need to wait until Monday.
You don’t need to wait until next month.
You simply need to decide when the disruption is over and take the next small step.
Consistency is often the key to staying on track long term. Consistenly coming back to the habits and routines that help you.
This may be the most important part.
In my experience, people often do themselves more harm by beating themselves up about going off track than by going off track in the first place.
A few missed workouts, a few disrupted meals, or a few days of poor sleep rarely cause major problems.
What tends to cause more damage is the guilt, frustration and self-criticism that follows.
Life will always throw things at us.
Weather changes.
Children get ill.
Work becomes busy.
Plans change.
The goal isn’t to stay perfectly on track forever.
The goal is to keep coming back to the habits and routines that support your health when life allows you to.
So if you’ve found yourself derailed by the recent hot weather—or by something else entirely—try to remember these three things:
- Control the damage where you can.
- Decide when you’re getting back on track.
- Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Sometimes getting back on track starts with nothing more complicated than the next meal, the next walk, or the next good decision.
If you’re struggling to get back on track because of pain, injury, fitness concerns, nutrition, or a health problem that’s getting in the way, some of these services may be helpful: