Get Back into Your Fitness Routine after a Break

Have you ever taken a break from the your fitness routine?

Sometimes life interrupts our fitness lifestyle. Whether it be vacations, work overload or family situations your 5-day-a-week regimen can quickly dwindle to a few trips or maybe even a once a month guilt-laden endeavor to the dreadmill.

So when bikini season strikes and the scurry to the gym is in full force (like it is right now), you may be motivated to get back into the swing of of your gym routine. This is great! However, you might be thoroughly disappointed after your first time back to the sweat shack when you are panting like you have never stepped foot in the gym in your whole life.

Know the feeling? Me too.

It is so easy to fall out of your routine and quickly get comfortable in your slug-like state where you can completely forget how good fitness feels.  But once you get past the initial dread of starting your routine up again here are some ways to make getting your workout in during those first few weeks foolproof:

1. Pack your Gym Bag the Night Before

You’ll never make it to your sweat session if you only think about how you have wanted to go back to the gym. Ensure you follow through with your fitness mindset by preparing the night before. When your gear is ready to go and placed in front of the door you are more opt to grab it and follow through on your workout plans. Turn those thoughts into actions!

2. Reduce your Intensity

For the first week or so you are going to have to silence the “balls to the wall” attitude brewing up inside of you. It may seem like you are backtracking, but when you take a significant amount of time off your muscles will not be prepared to jump into your “normal” 6 mile run. Even if your internal motivation is screaming at you to go, go, go you should ramp up your routine slowly until you are ready to recommit to your previously set pace. This may mean shortening your runs, slowing your speeds or doing fewer reps with less weight until your body catches up with your gym goals.

3. Hold off on the Classes

Personally, I am a class addict. I love the set schedule that comes with a class and I enjoy being pushed beyond what I think I can do by having an instructor leading me to my sweaty destiny. However, going back to the gym and instantly walking into Turbo Kick is a disaster waiting to happen. That is what you do when you want to ensure your gym shoes start the dust collection again! Use your first month back to recondition your muscles and your mind and then get back to taking the classes you love.

4. Stretch like it’s going out of Style

After even one mild workout you are going to experience muscle soreness. Unless you are prepared for a full day (or three) of being miserably achy and think on repeat “I am never going back to the gym again,” make sure to work in some post-workout pampering with a committed stretch regimen like this one from FitSugar. You will likely still be sore, but hopefully it will be that good sore we have all come to love!

5. Accountability, Check!

Just because you used to be able to commit a full hour after work in everyday doesn’t mean your new schedule will allow for this. Lay out a doable plan for getting back on track and commit to your new exercise habits for at least 30 days. Enlist the help of friends and mark your calendar to help rebuild your fitness lifestyle. To start, consider altering your schedule to breaking a sweat 2 to 3 times a week and soon you will be wanting to exercise 4 or 5 times. It will seem painful to put this into practice, but in no time at all your efforts will pay off and your new routine will become so ingrained it will be second nature.

6. Be Patient with your Body

If you have been away from your workout program for quite some time you must be patient as your body adjusts to the demands of physical activity again. The first few weeks are well, rough, so I try to channel a time when I had a rock star workout and use that feeling to encourage me to get in my gym groove. Nothing is better than that after workout feeling, right?

Extra Credit! Get a Trainer: Personal trainers are a pricey sidekick, but if you can work it into your budget having a trainer to craft routines that are specific to your body and level of fitness will get you back on the gym track fast. Having a trainer brings a new level of motivation and skill into your fitness goals. Take advantage of the free session offered with your membership or sign up for mini-sessions if you can’t afford the full sessions. You’ll get some great tips to bring into your solo fitness regimen.

Your inner gym rat will feel right at home once you get past the first few weeks of getting back into your fitness routine.  Keep that habit going from there!

Have you ever taken a long break from your fitness regimen? What was it like for you getting back into your exercise groove? Share your thoughts and stories below!

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