It’s all right, you can admit it now. You haven’t seen the interior of the gym in two months. Getting sick, having a family problem, working extra, and finishing school papers all kept you from exercising. The question now is: how can you get back on track?
When you make exercise a habit, it becomes second nature. There is no force involved; you simply go to the gym.
However, it might be difficult to get back into the swing of things after a month, two months, or even a year off. Here are some pointers on how to get back on the treadmill after falling off.
Related: Happy People’s Morning Routines
1. Don’t Break the Habit
The simplest approach to keep things going is to avoid stopping. If you don’t exercise for a long period of time, you’ll have to work harder to get back into the habit.
For some people, this advice may come too late. However, if you have a regular workout routine, don’t abandon it at the first hint of difficulties.
2. Reward Showing Up
“Half of life is showing up,” Woody Allen once stated. Making the effort to get there is, in my opinion, 90 percent of the battle.
Later, you can worry about your weight, the number of laps you run, or the number of reps you can bench press.
Related: 5 Minutes Workout Routine You Can Do Anywhere You Want
3. Commit for Thirty Days
Make a one-month commitment to go every day (even if it’s only for 20 minutes). This will help you stick to your fitness routine.
By making a commitment, you relieve yourself of the stress of determining whether or not to go in the first few weeks back.
4. Make it Fun
It will be difficult to maintain a gym habit if you do not enjoy yourself there. Don’t give up if you’ve determined that lifting weights or performing crunches isn’t for you.
There are countless methods to move your body and exercise. Many large fitness centers will have a variety of programs to choose from.
5. Schedule During Quiet Hours
Don’t schedule your exercise time in a spot where it will be readily overshadowed by something more pressing.
Things are frequently a good idea to put away right after work or first thing in the morning. If job obligations increase, it may become too easy to miss lunch-hour workouts.
6. Get a Buddy –
Invite a pal to join you. Exercising with a social component can help you stick to your workout routine.
7. X Your Calendar
One of my acquaintances has a practice of marking any day on the calendar that he goes to the gym with a red “X.”
This has the advantage of rapidly displaying how long it has been since you last went to the gym. Keeping a consistent number of Xs on your calendar is a simple method to stay motivated.
Related: Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise
8. Enjoyment Before Effort
After you’ve completed any workout, think about what sections you liked and what parts you didn’t. The fun elements of your workout will usually be completed, while the remainder will be avoided.
You can ensure that you want to keep going to the gym by focusing on ways to make workouts more fun.
9. Create a Ritual
It’s important that your training program gets so ingrained that it becomes a ritual. This means that the time of day, location, or cue automatically prompts you to get your belongings and go.
It will be more difficult to gain from the momentum of a ritual if your training timings are absolutely unpredictable.
10. Stress Relief
When you’re stressed, what do you do? There’s a good chance it’s not running. However, exercise can help you relax by generating endorphins, which boost your mood.
Try completing an enjoyable activity the next time you’re anxious or exhausted. When stress alleviation is related to exercise, it’s simple to get back into the habit after a break.
11. Measure Fitness
Weight isn’t always the most useful metric to keep track of. Muscle gain can counteract fat loss, so the scale doesn’t change even if your body changes. However, improving your fitness is a terrific way to stay motivated.
Simple metrics like the number of push-ups, sit-ups, or the pace at which you can run will help you evaluate how the exercise is improving your strength and speed.
Related: Stop making excuses for your fitness right now.
12. Habits First, Equipment Later
Expensive equipment does not build a workout habit. Despite this, some people assume that purchasing a $1,000 gadget will compensate for their lack of activity.
It is not going to happen. Begin by developing an exercise habit; only then should you consider purchasing a personal gym.
13. Isolate Your Weakness
If you find yourself sliding off the workout wagon frequently, figure out why. Do you dislike working out? Is it a matter of a lack of time? Is it making you feel self-conscious in the gym?
Is it because of a lack of fitness knowledge? You can take efforts to fix the issue as soon as you identify your vulnerability.
Related: Best fitness blogs
14. Start Small
It’s not a smart idea to try to run fifteen miles on your first session. For the first several weeks, work below your capacity to establish the habit. Otherwise, you could be scared to come back after a tough workout.
15. Go for Yourself, Not to Impress
Going to the gym solely for the purpose of looking good is akin to starting a business solely for the purpose of making money. The effort is insufficient to warrant the outcomes.
However, if you go to the gym to challenge yourself, acquire energy, and have fun, you’ll be able to maintain going even if your results are slow.
Your Daily Habits Can Make or Break Your Life!
Work on your habits if you want to live the life you want and achieve your goals!
It may seem difficult to break a bad habit or form a good one, but with Lifehack’s exclusive tactics, you can do it (and it’s easier than you think!)