Getting back to exercise after a break

So, you’ve been exercising regularly for months, maybe even years. Then, life somehow takes over and before you know it, it’s been so long since you exercised that you don’t know how or where to start. Getting back to exercise after a break can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be scary! Here are some tips for easing yourself back into the habit.

Accept your starting point

One of those most difficult things about getting back to exercise after a break is the sense that you have fallen so far back that it’s scary to think about getting back to where you were. Or, you put yourself under tremendous pressure to reach the same level you were at previously. This is an unhealthy way to get back into the flow. Be honest with yourself about where you are now, and don’t beat yourself up with where you think you “should” be. The only thing that matters is where you are now. Embrace and accept who you are today, and be willing to work with your body as it is.

Start gently

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when exercising after a long break is going too intense, too quickly. It’s understandable that you want to see results sooner rather than later, but if you haven’t been exercising for a while, you simply won’t be able to do intense exercise with the proper technique and form and will be running the risk of injury. Often, I hear someone complain of a bad knee getting in the way of their return to exercise; when I ask how long their break had been and what exercise they have been doing, they invariably took a long break and jumped into the latest high intensity workout programme to get quick results. Look after your body. It will adapt quickly, but only if you give it the time and space to do so. Work too hard too fast, and you will perform with bad technique and damage your body. It’s not worth it.

Be realistic

There are many reasons why we end up taking breaks from exercise. Work commitments are becoming more and more overwhelming, family life can take over self-care regimes, and sometimes we just feel low on energy and feel too exhausted to look after ourselves. It’s important to understand what caused you to stop exercising in the first place, and to plan your return to exercise with that issue in mind. Unless you’ve made a radical life change, your job may still be time consuming, family life will always be a priority, and emotional ups and downs and low energy periods can come and go – so you’ll need to come up with an exercise plan that can work around the barriers that you face to sticking to it. Working with a trainer will help with this (tips for finding the right trainer here), as they can create a plan for you that deals with these challenges, but the information for a trainer to work with will still come from you. The more self-aware you are, the more you can create and implement strategies to break old patterns.

Stay present

One of the best things about exercise is that it roots you in the present moment. It can be a form of meditation, where you switch off from the stresses of day-to-day life, and the natural chemical reactions that take place when you work out mean that you get that feel good factor too. That said, it’s really easy to think yourself out of that positive experience. When you do those early workouts, don’t let yourself get ahead of where you are, or to travel back to where you were before. Negative self talk about where your fitness level “should” be, or what you “should” be able to do will put your mind in a negative space, and will take the enjoyment out of doing something that is fundamentally wonderful for your body. Let yourself be present, and take each moment as it comes.

Goals, goals, goals

Take some time to consider why you’re getting back into exercise, and what your goals are. Do you want to lose weight? Build muscle? Be able to walk up the stairs without feeling winded? Enjoy clothes shopping again? You need to know WHY you’re committing to exercise, so that when the going gets tough, you have an anchor to keep you on – course. If you need more convincing about why goals are important, read HERE. If you’re raring to go but not sure how, click HERE for a step-by-step guide to setting effective goals. During the goal setting process, you will come across key questions, such as whether you need a trainer to write you an effective, goal oriented session plan. If you find that you need a bit of help getting an exercise plan together, HERE is a guide to finding the right trainer.

Keep showing up

Once you have goals and a plan, you simply need to keep showing up. You just need to follow the plan. You’ve done the mental preparation for making sure that you succeed with this return to a healthy lifestyle, so you just have to stay consistent and stick to it! If your resolve feels shaky, remember your goals and let them motivate you to continue on your journey towards better health, wellbeing, and a loving relationship with your body.

Reward yourself

It’s not always easy getting into a new routine. We all hit bumps in the road, and speaking from personal experience, it can be really hard to get back into something when you have taken a break. Somehow, the pressure feels heightened. When you hit key milestones, be sure to reward yourself. Decide in advance what those rewards will be. A cool new water bottle for your workouts? Some new gym gear? A massage to relax those muscles? It can be as simple as giving yourself an evening off from looking after the kids and planning a soak in the bath with some new bath products and a book. Be sure to treat yourself. When you hit key milestones and achieve goals, you have earned a bit of self-indulgence!

Good luck with coming back and reinstating a healthy lifestyle and relationship with your body – not that you need it! You can do it!

P.S If you need a few tips on getting started on your fitness journey, my e-book, “Getting Started” is free to download. Click HERE to subscribe to my mailing list (no spam, I promise!) and download your free copy 🙂