Starting A Physical Fitness Regime After A Long Break
When you are in the physical fitness game it becomes your second nature just as having coffee or eating food. A day just doesn't feel complete without moving your body out of your comfort zone. And then it happens, life gets in the way and you fall off the fitness wagon and your physically active routine becomes a distant memory.
Sometimes it is the new job or a new relationship or family responsibilities that start to pack our schedule and one day after another we start skipping that one hour that helps us to stay physically fit and grounded.
The good news is you went from being inactive to being active and now you can go back to being active regardless of how many weeks or months you have missed already. Here are a few strategic steps that’ll help you to get back into your fitness routine in no time:
Start Small And Enjoy The Process
Don’t expect yourself to pick up where you left off. If you haven’t gone to the gym, ran or practiced yoga in a while, chances are that you are going to be stiffer physically and won’t have the same strength. It is best that you start with light weight workouts lifting some light weights, a 30 minute run or cardio or an intermediate level yoga class to ease yourself back into the physical wellness routine.
Plan on working out at least three to four days in a week and after ten days into it start to build up on the duration and intensity of your workouts.
Choose Workouts That Are Enjoyable
Forcing yourself into doing something that you don’t enjoy can be a huge obstacle when it comes to restarting a regime. So start with fitness activities that are pleasurable to you rather than doing the workouts that you think will reap higher physical rewards. You will definitely reap higher rewards if you will be consistent, and one way to create consistency is by doing things that resonate with you and are pleasurable to you.
Plan Your Workouts
With a busy lifestyle, planning and scheduling is the key for successful results. Plan your workouts at least a week ahead. Decide on the days, timings and duration of your workouts. But be ready to be flexible if you have to. For example, if you have planned a workout at 8:30 am on Tuesday and you have to be present at a parent-teacher meeting or attend an office conference, stay committed to putting in your workout even at a later time on Tuesday.
Don’t give up even if you have missed one day. Stay motivated to complete the other planned workouts during the week and perhaps do a little extra to make-up for the missed day.
Get Into Social Fitness
It’s a great way to make your workouts fun. Once a week or more (depending on your schedule and resources) take a group fitness class or plan a workout with your friends or partner. This brings a different kind of energy to your workouts and helps you to feel motivated. In my experience as a yoga teacher, yogis who practice once or twice a week in a group class are more prone to staying committed to their yoga practice for the rest of the days during a week.
On days when you feel like skipping your workout, remind yourself the reasons for your motivation and why you think your physical fitness is important to you. Start small and be more consistent in your practice with the exception of rest days.
A 150 minute workout per week is an ideal target to maintain physical health for most individuals. These 150 minutes can be divided among moderate intensity activity (light yoga, brisk walk, swimming) and high intensity activity (running, boxing, high intensity yoga) and strength training (weight lifting and resistance bands).