How to Get Back to a Positive Fitness Routine

Getting back into a workout routine after a long time off can feel impossible.

It’s fine when you’re going to the gym or being active every day. You’re seeing results, and you’ve got all the motivation in the world.

Stopping that routine and starting it again is another story altogether. Maybe you’ve been stuck at home for months, dealing with work, life, everything but fitness.

When you try to get back where you left off, it’s that much harder. Weights feel heavier, a mile feels longer, and you start to wonder how you were able to keep it up before.

The good thing is, you’re not alone in this. Many have gone through the same situation, and kick-starting your motivation again is absolutely possible. There’s no need to give up on getting yourself back in shape for summer.

Read on and we’ll share some tips to help you get back out there and restart your fitness routine.

Don’t beat yourself up

First of all, it’s easy to think negatively when you fall off the horse. You may have had a good routine going, and lost it. Maybe you told yourself you were going to get a home workout every day, then quit after a week.

We’ve all been there. And beating yourself up, thinking you’ve failed because you let your routine slip, is pointless.

Show yourself some self-love and compassion. Understand that many people have been in the same boat, and realize that your new fitness journey begins today.

Start small

If you haven’t worked out in a while, the temptation is to think you’ve got to make up for lost time, and go big.

The problem is, this is not helpful for starting a new, consistent routine.

If you go out and put in a monster workout on your first day back in the gym, you’re going to be sore – really sore – the next day. That’s not going to help your motivation to get out there for another workout.

When you’re just getting back to working out, focus more on forming a habit. Small workouts are better for this, since it’s much easier to convince yourself to put aside 30 minutes to work out each day.

Before long, it will be a natural part of your day in day out routine.

Evaluate and reposition your goals

Clear goals are always helpful, as they give you an idea of what you’re working towards.

You may have had some goals earlier – a certain target in terms of weight or performance – but you’ll probably need to re-evaluate these goals.

Perhaps you’ve lost muscle mass while you’ve been away from the gym, and you need to focus on bulking up again. Or you may have put on a few extra pounds and realize it’s time to lean up.

Whatever it is, evaluate where you stand (without being negative about it), and make a clear, achievable goal for yourself.

Don’t neglect recovery

The biggest wall you’re going to hit when you go back to working out is recovery.

The first workout after a while off can feel great. You’re pumped, you feel good about yourself, and the world is right again.

The next morning? Not so much.

Recovery is vital, or else you’re going to have a hard time keeping up a regular training routine. And at the center of recovery is good nutrition and supplementation.

Eating well, particularly clean, natural foods is going to help your body recover faster. As is post-workout supplementation.

Try a healthy snack after working out, like a shake made with grass-fed whey protein powder from Naked Nutrition. Their protein is sourced exclusively from small Northern California dairy farms, so you know you’re only getting the best when it comes to quality.

A healthy protein snack with natural ingredients will massively cut down the time you spend recovering from your first few workouts.

Find a workout partner

Everything’s better with a partner. Remember, you may not be the only person in this boat. Many people go through the same thing, losing momentum and struggling to restart their fitness routine.

Find a friend that’s also trying to better themselves, and go workout together. An accountability partner is one of the best things to help you start working out consistently. It’s much easier to motivate yourself on those days when you don’t really feel up to it when there’s someone else counting on you.

Make it fun

Finally, make an effort to make your workouts fun with  Lacrosse Balls Direct.

It’s so much harder to find the motivation when you dread every workout. If you hate the grind of 10-12 repetitions for 4-5 sets, change it up.

Try some kettlebell workouts. Join a group class. Start doing High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

If you’re used to running on the treadmill, try an outside run. Change up the scenery.

The single best way to maintain a consistent workout routine is to enjoy your workouts. You’ll look forward to working out each day, and it won’t be a chore you tell yourself you HAVE to do.

Instead, working out will be a release, something you do to relieve stress and have fun. You’ll just happen to notice you build your dream body along the way too.