Three Weeks of Radio Silence

Can I be honest with you? It’s been three weeks since my last blog post. And my gym bag has been sitting by the door, looking at me like I owe it something. Turns out even coaches fall off track.

Then I had the strangest dream. I was getting a tattoo in a medical office, bright red ink, local anesthesia and all. I kept interrupting the poor woman doing it until she finally snapped that she’d already done about 1,600 tattoos that day. (Dream logic is wild.) When it was done, I looked down and the tattoo wasn’t there. I was puzzled, until someone assured me it would show up.

I woke up and thought, well, that’s my gym habit and this blog. The work goes in long before you can see it.

Here’s the funny part. I’ve been a physical therapist for over 25 years, and I’ve won national and world titles in powerlifting. Helping women through this exact kind of slide is literally my job.

I know what to do. And I still fell off track.

If you’ve ever wondered how someone who knows all this could still struggle, I love that question. Let’s sit with it together, because the answer has a lot to do with getting back on track for you, too.

Why We Fall Off Track

Most of us don’t need more information. You already know sleep matters and moving your body feels good. You may even have a folder of saved workouts you’ve never opened. (No judgment. I have one too.)

What gets in the way usually looks more like this:

• Follow-through. Starting is easy. Day 12 on a rainy Tuesday is a whole other story.
• A full plate. Work and family come first, and your own health quietly slides to the bottom of the list.
• Old stories. “I’ll start Monday.” “I should know better.” That second one? Mine.
• Perfectionism. One missed week starts to feel like proof the whole plan failed.

Knowing better can even make it harder, because now there’s guilt on top of the slip. But nothing is wrong with you. You’re human, and so am I.

Coaches Have Coaches, Too

Here’s something people are often surprised to hear: coaches work with other coaches. I do. When I’m stuck, I don’t need someone to hand me a plan. I need someone to help me reframe the barrier in front of me. That’s the heart of all health and wellness coaching. It’s a partnership, not someone telling you what to do.

That reframing is where the real shift happens. Here are a few that have helped me lately:

• “Getting to the gym feels so hard right now” became “Getting strong doesn’t happen staying in bed. I’m rebuilding, and rebuilding is allowed to feel hard.”
• “The grass is greener over there” became “The grass is greener where I water it.”
• “There has to be something better” became “Maybe better is already here, waiting for me to notice it.”
• “I should know better” became “Knowing and doing are two different skills, and I’m practicing the second one.”

A fellow coach can hear the story I’m telling myself long before I do. That outside view is exactly what I offer my clients, and I would never ask them to do something I’m not willing to do myself. Even Olympic champions have coaches, because none of us can see our own blind spots.

How I’m Getting Back on Track

Here’s what I’m actually doing, using the same tools I share with clients.

1. Smaller restarts. No heroic catch-up workouts. One short session is enough to begin. (This post counts, too.) I’m refocusing my training on building muscle and a foundation to run injury free, so starting small isn’t a slogan for me. It’s the plan.
2. Appointments, not intentions. My workouts go on the calendar like a client session. If it’s scheduled, it’s real.
3. Kindness over criticism. When the “you should know better” voice pipes up, I answer it the way I’d answer a client: “Okay, love. What’s one thing you can do today?”
4. Check-ins with a fellow coach. We look at what changed in the weeks before I drifted. It’s usually less about willpower and more about a schedule that stopped fitting my life.

So, Does a Coach Need a Coach?

Yes. That’s exactly why coaches work with coaches. Needing support isn’t a failure. It’s how change actually sticks.

Falling off track doesn’t mean you lack discipline. It means you have a full life. What matters is what you do next, and you don’t have to figure that out alone. And just like that red tattoo, the change is already there, even before you can see it.

If you’re in your own slide right now, I’d love to help:

• Join the Women’s Health Circle, our Facebook community for midlife women who want support without pressure.
• Book a free 15-minute discovery call and let’s find your first small restart together.

Now I’m curious. What knocks you off track most often? Tell me in the comments. I read every single one.

Deidre Ann Johnson, Health & Wellness Coach, PT, LMT, CEAS
Founder, The Wellness Hub NYC