We all know the feeling. Maybe we've just come back from vacation, a business trip or even an injury/illness; for whatever reason and however long the break, the workouts have fallen by the wayside and we need to get back on it...
For some there's little motivation, for others there's lots of motivation but at that moment we're all in the same boat; we feel fat, unfit and generally a little loose around the edges. Whether we are or not is a different matter but it can be enough to upset the flow - so much so that for many of us it takes far longer than it needs to to start exercising again. We pull 'perfectly reasonable' excuses out of nowhere, convincing ourselves that we'll be back just as soon as we can be. So a week's vacation can often mean two weeks of no workouts - recognize anything here...?
So how do we do work up the motivation and get back on form when we really don't want to? Well, I have a system of my own that works for me and maybe it'll work for you too!
I've tried hitting it hard in the belief that my aches and pains from overdoing it will make me feel good again - it doesn't, it just make the next day seem even worse - so I take another day or two off... I've tried carrying on where I left off but somehow I manage to convince myself that I don't have enough time right now, there's too much to do. And if I do start out like this I'm happy to put my hand up and admit that sometime's I've got half way through and lost interest - and that can REALLY set your motivation back - avoid that situation at all costs!
The one that works for me - I go back to absolute basics; I chose the easiest, shortest workout I know with a plan to put in just as much effort as I need to. This has numerous benefits, mostly psychological;
- It's easy and quick to complete therefore it's more likely to be enjoyable
- I know I won't ache tomorrow so I won't have any excuses to not continue
- I won't have to get up super early to achieve my aim
- At the end and however you look at it - I worked out
So if any of this resonates with you; plan your next break to finish as soon as possible with the 'holiday' of all workouts and just see how quickly YOU feel back on track. Good luck :-)
- How do YOU get back into exercise after taking a break?
- What's your 'favourite' go-to easy workout routine? (I love Ultimate Ball from the Supreme 90 DVD series)