Are you coming back from a break from exercising? I definitely experienced this a lotttt throughout medical school and residency, so I put together some tips for getting back into a fitness routine again after a couple months away!
Getting Back Into A Fitness Routine
My most recent break from the gym wasn’t (for once) due to being too busy with school/work and it wasn’t that I was completely inactive (…I went on >80 hikes)–I was just without a gym for 2.5 months due to my cross-country road trip.
Put together a plan.
How often do you plan to exercise? What type of exercise do you plan to do? What are you trying to focus on (e.g. strength, endurance, flexibility, gaining muscle, decreasing body fat)? When do you plan to work out? For how long? Is the gym/studio (or wherever you’ll be going) somewhere that you can get to fairly easily, or is it super out of the way?
Set realistic goals.
Your goal(s) should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
For instance, as much as I’d love to do Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Polynesian dance, pole, aerial silks, and lyra multiple times per week, and rock climbing at least once per month, this obviously isn’t realistic or sustainable, especially once I start working, so I definitely have some prioritizing to do…so my goals are currently as follows:
- Lift weights 2-3x/week.
- BJJ 1-2x/week.
- Polynesian 1x/week.
- Pole/aerial silks/lyra 1-2x/week.
- Stretch 2-3x/week.
- Cut to 18-19% body fat in 6 months.
Be patient with yourself.
Don’t expect to get back to where you used to be right away! Make sure you focus on your form, and don’t be afraid to start slow so you can ease back into it. Try to stick to a regular pattern so it becomes a habit!
Much as I’d love to be at my old numbers for power lifting, I think avoiding injury and not overdoing it is infinitely more important.
Keep yourself accountable.
Write it down, tell someone about your plans, or find a workout buddy who’s also starting, restarting, or already has a workout routine down–whatever it takes!
OpenFit (formerly Gixo) is my favorite solution for when I don’t have a gym available to me–I wrote about it here, and they’ve since added a tonnnn of new classes ranging from 5-60 minutes, and even a 120 minute class (a 10k walk/run)!
The classes include…
- Walk & Learn sessions (e.g. investing, safer skin care, meditation, etc.)
- Intervals
- Yoga
- Stretching/Mobility
- Kickboxing/Conditioning
- Strength Training with weights
- Tabatas/HIIT
- Pilates
- Abs/Booty
- Total Core
- Foam Rolling
- Boot Camp
- Cardio (walking, running)
They also have a bunch of programs that you can follow if you’d like a more structured style!
- Have you ever taken a long/semi-long break from exercising?
- Do you have a Fitbit? Add me! (I think I should show up under Farrah F. If not, it’s my blog name at gmail!)
- Have you ever tried Gixo? If you want to try a free class, let me know in the comments and I can email you a free pass! :]
Linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for tomorrow!
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Coming back to fitness after a long break can be tough! Sounds like you have a great plan in place
Deborah Brooks recently posted…The easiest and most efficient way to clean a yoga mat
Thanks! Now it’s just sticking to it that’ll be the challenge! :P
Great tips lady! My come backs have been after injury, so it has always been even more of a challenge!
My fav tip is to be patient!
Good to see you here lady!
I feel ya! Injuries are not fun to have to come back from. :[
Thank you! Hopefully I’m finally back for good! :] I’ve taken so many breaks this year!
I’ve totally been there. Loving your tips and will definitely keep them handy.
Thank you! I hope they’re helpful! :]
I think your best tip it to be realistic. Setting goals too high (or too low) can really hinder one’s confidence and progress. Good luck!!
Agreed! I think I definitely have a tendency to set em’ too high most of the time, but I’ve learned to tone it down a tad! :P
I love these tips! And I love the variety you have in your routine. I like mine to be the same way. I didn’t know you did BJJ! I was training for a few months but recently decided to take a break as I focus on paying off my student loans and teaching fitness classes. Have you ever competed?
I’d love to try Gixo using your free pass!
Thanks! I’m glad you like em’! I haven’t done BJJ regularly in a longgg while but I really miss it and want to get back into it! I’ve never competed–maybe someday when I’m a lot better! :P
What’s your email? I’ll send you an invite! (Or you can email me at fairyburger (at) gmail and I can just reply with the code there! :] )
I like the idea of the goals being SMART> HAppy to hear that you are back at it in the gym!
Sandra D Laflamme recently posted…Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Reach the Beach 2019
Thanks! It’s great to be back! :]
This is so helpful. I had a month break and now getting back into it.
I’m glad it’s helpful! Best of luck to you! :]
I bet you were pretty active on your road trips! more than 80 hikes sounds very active to me!
Thanks for linking up!
hehehe, just a tad! It was a lot of fun and there was so much to see! *-*
It’s always hard to get back into the swing of things! But sounds like you were very active even without your gym. Great Tips!!!
I figured I’d find something to take its place in the meantime! :P Hoping that I’ll be able to stick to this!
My current absence, unfortunately, is time related. I have a full time job and just started a new business that has required a larger time investment than I originally budgeted for. Add being a wife and mother and I’m struggling to find the time to work out. Seeing your post, especially how you have your workouts scheduled, has given me an idea of what I can do. Thanks!
Darn. :[ I can definitely relate to the time part–I ran into that a lot when I was in med school/residency. You have a lot on your plate!!B est of luck to you though, and I hope some of these will help you when things hopefully calm down a bit!
Being active is really just a part of me (wasn’t always the case) and I’m a big fan of doing *something* even if it’s just for 5 minutes!
My longest breaks are when I’m sick. Which thankfully isn’t very often.
You have great tips! >80 hikes . . . I’m so jealous! Then again, after med school & residency, you totally earned that.
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…It’s a Miracle: 9/16 -22 WRD
Me too, although I have had a couple breaks from injuries and a couple others (sadly) from time issues. I’m glad you’re not sick often either!
It was a ton of fun and definitely an awesome break from everything!