How To Get Back Into Fitness
It is very easy to let your exercise journey slip and fall away. All it takes is a few bumps along the road, and suddenly, your gym life has stopped. Once this has happened, it can be tough to get back on track. In my latest article, I offer a few tips on how to get back into that fitness lifestyle.
Regular exercise is undoubtedly a fantastic way to get fit and healthy, and it also improves what you see in the mirror (giving your self-confidence a much-needed boost). However, sometimes life gets in the way—work, family, social life, health issues, and even stress. Once your fitness mindset has been damaged, it’s often only a matter of time before fatigue sets in and you just quit.
I myself have been through this situation. I used to work out regularly 4-5 times a week, and then all of a sudden, it just dropped off (mostly down to work and travel and, therefore, a lack of time). In this past year, I have finally managed to get back on the horse (in a manner of speaking) and commit to regular exercise again, although it was difficult to convince myself to start over.
In the following few points, I will offer a few suggestions to help get you back into that gym life.
Inspiration
Look At Other Fitness Guys
Getting back into fitness often requires some form of inspiration to kick-start the process. Check out fitness sites, social media pages, magazines, and books, and check out what other guys who invest time into fitness look like (even celeb transformations).
Focus on toned guys who look good and have attainable shapes (in a reasonable amount of time).
However, steer clear of huge-gym-buff monsters, as if anything that has the opposite effect (either seeing it as an unobtainable goal or just not a fan of their look!).
For further incentive, narrow down the visuals into age groups and body types – even if you are in your 40s and 50s (if not older), there is still time to obtain a great body to be proud of.
Plan A Holiday
Planning a fantastic poolside holiday was the trigger I needed to get back into lifting weights. I wanted to get more trim and some extra definition on my frame before we jumped on that plane. I actually began the journey around three months in advance, so there was more than enough time to make a notable difference.
Break-ups
A relationship breakdown is often the catalyst for guys joining a gym and getting buff. Even one of my work colleagues (from a few years ago) went through this exact scenario and lost a lot of weight and gained a good amount of muscle after splitting up from his long-term partner.
Lack Of Time
For many people, not having enough time each day is a huge burden that can damage your workout goals. However, regular gym-goers say that this is an excuse, and there are always workarounds, or you will make time.
For me, investing in home gym equipment was the best alternative to owning a gym membership. It removed the travel time + waiting around to use the machines for your sets. You can easily start with a pair of dumbbells (such as an adjustable set that saves space), as you can hit almost every muscle group with that simple yet effective piece of kit.
Overcome Health Issues
Another area that can cause you to drop your workouts is health problems – these can be physical, which can be a huge strain on fitness activity (especially if you are lifting heavy weights), or even other more internal body issues (or even mental concerns such as depression).
No matter your health issues, there is always a way to get involved in some form of fitness activity. If you have damaged your muscles (or worse still, your bones), then naturally, you have to take it easy and recover before doing anything too strenuous. Nonetheless, you can always focus on light cardio workouts until you have healed (investing in a home running machine is always a good idea).
If you love to run/jog and have damaged your legs or suffer from problematic feet (either via an accident, straining injuries, or something that has appeared over time), you can grab a variety of items to help ease the issues, such as an ankle support braces or padded support for your knees. You will still need to take it easy when running, but slow-paced walking can still ensure you can burn those calories but within a safer level of intensity.
Summary
Getting back into fitness after a long hiatus may seem like a tremendous hurdle, but following the tips in my latest guide will make the transition easier. Soon, you will be hitting the gym or track once more and smashing those long-overdue workout goals!
What do you think about my latest article in the fitness sector? Please let me know in the comments section below.
