Why I Always Have a Backup Plan to My Backup Plan 💅
Most people attempting to establish a new healthy habit quit for one simple reason:
They’re designed to work only when life cooperates, when nothing goes sideways, no one needs you, and nothing disrupts your carefully thought-out vision of how the day, week, or month should unfold.
But if you're not planning for the unexpected, and you've set the bar too high, your habit is likely not going to stick.
Becoming a parent while attempting to stay healthy taught me quickly about flexibility.
Last week was a perfect example.
I had a workout planned at my local studio gym. The time was blocked off my calendar so I wouldn't get booked.
I prepped the night before by cleaning the kitchen and family room, plus got ahead on work deliverables so the morning would be smooth.
I got up a little earlier than usual because my husband was out of town, and I wanted to make sure I had extra time to make breakfast and lunches.
Then, right after I got back from dropping the boys off at school, I received an email that my son had forgotten his science fair project board at home.
I had a 10-second "bummer" response, followed by an immediate pivot.
Why? Because I have a backup plan to my backup plan to my backup plan of how I'll follow through when things go awry.
It's not if, but when.
By the time I drove back to school, responded to questions in our 102- member Awaken Foundations program, and prepped for my mid-morning 1:1 call, that original plan no longer fit the shape of the day.
Old me would have spiraled.
“Well, I guess I missed my workout.”
“Since I can't get my workout in, I'm just going to sit here and work.”
“Today is now a waste. Time for pizza and cookies.”
And maybe you recognize that voice. It has personally kept me trapped in "all or nothing" for most of my adult life. But the truth is that I was "all" when things were perfect, and "nothing" when things were messy (aka... LIFE!).
But current me didn’t stress at all.
Not because I suddenly became more disciplined, but because I stopped relying on a single, fragile plan.
This is the ultimate gift that becoming a parent taught me:
I don’t build my consistency around perfection anymore.
I build it around flexibility and backup plans.
I don't "wish for" or "want"...
I set an intention, I establish my non-negotiable activities, and I communicate them in advance to everyone in my orbit.
So it's not about wishing or wanting: I just know and have trust in myself that I will find a way to make it happen no matter what the circumstance.
Because staying in limbo and indecision is what causes energy leaks.
Decide. Decide powerfully. And move forward.
Here’s how I think now about maintaining a movement habit:
Plan A: studio class or open gym Green Door Life strength workout
Plan B: use dumbbells at home if I can't get to the gym, with Green Door Life workouts already on file (zero thinking or brain energy required and you only need a couple sets of dumbbells)
Plan C: if my missed a window of time to train, I move for at least 20 minutes (ex: short met con or mobility workout), preferably outside
Plan D: if there is a once in a lifetime ice storm that closes us in for 3 days, pivot and bounce on the mini trampoline, do a Tae Bo video for funsies, or dance in my office for a half hour
Plan E: walk as long as I can, move on with my day, and get knock it out after I pick the kids up from school
Every option still moves me forward because momentum (not motivation) keeps me consistent.
Missing Plan A doesn’t mean the day is lost. It simply means I move to Plan B.
No drama. No starting over. No waiting for Monday.
This same pattern shows up all the time in our conversations with women about strength training.
One of the most common questions we get is some version of:
“Do you have workouts that are shorter? Like 30 minutes instead of an hour?”
And the answer is actually twofold:
Do we have shorter workouts?
First, yes, of course we can adapt. Our progressive strength training workouts are designed to be flexible.
A 60-minute workout can absolutely become a 30–45 minute workout without losing its effectiveness when you focus on the most important muscle building sets and challenge yourself with heavy enough weight.
But second, and this is the more important part, the question itself tells me something deeper.
It tells me many women don’t yet realize how much flexibility they actually have and/or how strength training is a non-negotiable for longevity.
Movement is a nutrient. Just like food. Just like light. Just like sleep.
That doesn’t mean it needs to be extreme, punishing, or hour-long. It doesn’t mean collapsing in a pool of sweat or overwhelming your nervous system. And it doesn't mean you have to do it in perfect conditions with nothing else happening around you at the same time.
In fact, our strength training is intentionally designed to be the opposite.
Our workouts are built by women, for women, though we have plenty of men in our community thriving on them too!
They’re full-body, slow, controlled, and progressive. They're great to do even with young kids around so everyone can get involved and moving.
The goal is not high-intensity cardio or stress-based training, or "how many calories will my watch tell me I burned in X amount of time." (If you're doing that, you're missing the point of exercise).
The goal of any quality progressive strength training workout should be to build and maintain muscle in a way that supports your hormones, your nervous system, and your actual life.
And it doesn't have to be 100% perfectly followed for an entire hour to see results.
You need consistency.
And consistency doesn’t come from doing everything perfectly. It comes from understanding what’s essential, and being flexible everywhere else.
Motherhood taught me this lesson faster than anything else.
When my kids were babies, there was no such thing as an uninterrupted hour to work out.
There was no perfect routine or quiet window carved out just for me.
There was real life.
I did step-ups with babies in backpacks. I paused workouts to breastfeed or change diapers. Sometimes I stopped halfway through and never came back to it. Sometimes all I did was walk.
And I had to make a decision.
Either consistency required perfect conditions, or consistency had to adapt.
That decision changed everything.
Because here’s the truth most wellness programs don’t say out loud:
When you require life to run smoothly in order to stick with a healthy habit, you are planning for inconsistency.
This has nothing to do with being lazy or lacking discipline.
We actually see high-performing men and women get stuck in this loop of "needing it to be perfect to do it at all."
But life is not every going to be 100% "perfect."
You need to get good at being consistent EVEN WHEN things are not all perfectly lined up.
If your strategy collapses the moment life applies pressure..
You eat well until a stressful day derails the schedule...
You train consistently until work, kids, travel, hormones, or exhaustion enter the picture...
You feel “on track” only when conditions are ideal...
And when it falls apart, you internalize it as a personal failure...
Know that this is THE cornerstone on which we built Awaken Your Nutrition and the pattern we help you dismantle.
We don’t just teach you what to eat or how to train.
We teach you how to build a sustainable habits around food, movement, metabolism, and habits that can bend without breaking.
And we do this by providing mindset, somatic and emotional processing support.
That's why so many of our coaching calls often evolve into deep discussions well beyond food and exercise.
So when life happens, and it will, you don’t spiral.
You don’t abandon yourself.
You don’t start over for the hundredth time.
You pivot.
That’s structured flexibility.
And it’s the difference between staying consistent for a season and staying consistent for decades.
Early-bird enrollment for Awaken Your Nutrition is open now, and the $500 savings ends February 28.
[Click here to reserve your spot before we move to closed enrollment]
Discount Code: FEB500
Not because you need pressure to “finally get it together,” but because this is your opportunity to stop building fragile plans and start building a foundation that can actually hold your life.
This container is not a diet or just another macro program.
It's a mind-body-spirit transformation.
It's a 12-week immersive deep dive with full coaching support that goes beyond data.
And both
One last question before you go:
What’s one backup plan you could create this week so “life happening” doesn’t stop you from showing up at all? Drop it in the comments below 💚
With you, even when it feels challenging,
💚 Lisa
Lisa Kirby | Co-Founder of The Green Door Life
NAMS Certified Nutrition Consultant | Quantum Biology, Hormones, and Mindset Certified Specialist
