Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. —Jim Rohn
Earlier this week, I talked about my 90-day social media hiatus from Facebook, my business as well as the gym.
Well, I returned to the gym this past weekend. My first day back in the sweat box wasn’t as bad as I thought!
So today, I wanted to share three things to do after taking a long gym break.
No matter how long your long gym break is/was, consider these three things for your triumphant return:
Ease yourself back into your routine.
If you took a long break, don’t expect your strength or endurance to be the same. It’s okay to start again with lighter dumbbells or a shorter workout. Obviously this depends on your level of health. I personally started with 7.5lb weights instead of 10-20lbs (where I left off) and worked out for 30 minutes.
Begin your first workout with something you love to do.
Don’t come back to your fitness routine by doing something you think you should do. Begin your epic comeback with what you love to do so you’ll continue to stay consistent with your workouts. If you know me, you’d know that I hate cardio, so instead of doing a cardio workout, I started with some light running on the treadmill to warm up and did a full body weight work out. Love me some weight training!
Be good to yourself.
Coming back to the gym after a break isn’t easy. Taking a step back is a good thing and it’s okay to give yourself a break. Instead of beating yourself up, give yourself grace. For me, I thought I would beat myself up, but I actually didn’t. I was proud that I took some time to take care of myself so I was happy to be back.
If you plan on taking a break from the gym, make sure you’re not taking a break because you want to be lazy. Make sure it’s about self-care and be very intentional with your actions. Even though I took a gym break, I didn’t fall by the wayside with what I consumed. I was very aware of what I ordered at restaurants or put in my grocery cart.
For those of you who are upset you have to start over, I hope you take my advice into consideration. Please note that this is my thoughts so I’m giving advice based on my viewpoints and experience.
Have you taken a break from the gym before? If so, what did you do when you made your comeback?
Please note that this content should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or disease and serves as informational purposes only. Always consult your professional healthcare provider before beginning any new program with any questions you may have.
