07766 808553
So, you’ve had some time away from fitness and now you’re looking to get back into shape.
Maybe the time off was due to an injury, illness or perhaps just a busy life taking over. In any case, here you are, ready to take the plunge!
Now, you might be tempted to dive back in right where you left off weeks (or maybe even years) ago.
But this approach – while admirable – almost always ends in failure.
In fact, people who’ve tried picking up where they left off tend to either give up – as it feels impossible to sustain. Or they get injured because they did too much, too soon.
Take these 4 steps to getting back into fitness to ensure a successful return:
Expect it’s going to take a while to build your fitness back up to previous levels. Obviously the more time you’ve had out, the longer it’ll take.
You’ll need to be patient to avoid disappointment. Know it’s going to take time and commit to giving your body the time it needs to re-acclimatise.
If you’ve made the effort to exercise you’re gonna want to make it count, right? And you might be tempted to go in full throttle.
Instead, resist the urge to go all out on your first time back.
Because you might not know during the session that you’re overdoing it. It’s often not until afterwards that you get the message.
So be patient, go easy and build up gradually.
If you leave your first workout thinking you could’ve done more, you’ve got it just right.
Once you know your body is handling the workouts okay then it’s time to up the ante.
As a general rule, if you didn’t have any adverse affects from your workout it’s okay to step it up next time.
Our body responds best to small incremental improvements, so consider step 4:
If you’ve been doing 5 minutes cardio, just do 6. If you’ve been lifting an 8 kg weight successfully, next time try 9kg.
There’s no real benefit to bumping up the intensity too much too soon – other than a short term ego fix.
somebody didn’t build up gradually!
Instead, increase the challenge of your workout by the smallest increment possible.
When it comes to getting back into fitness avoid disappointment by getting your expectations right. Know that it’s going to take time, and commit to the process of building up gradually.
When you respect your body, and ease in gradually you’ll be rewarded by a successful return to exercise and long term health and fitness – BOOM!
If you’d like help getting back into fitness after time off hit the button below, request more info and we’ll be in touch
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.