Getting Back in Shape by Katy Lin

When it comes to the fitness journey, falling off from its wagon is doomed to happen, sooner or later. A new baby, a demanding job, lack of motivation, the cold weather, and before you know it, your training program is a just a distant memory. This is a common scenario among all fitness enthusiasts—from the recreational to the elite.

Here is what you need to do to get back in shape without much hassle.

Start Slow

Whether you have been an elite athlete or just an occasional exerciser, restarting your fitness engines right is of utmost importance if you’re really serious about keeping your exercise program for the long haul. See, once you stop exercising, your body loses most of the fitness gains. and once you decide to get back in shape, your body does not feel the way it used to. Your lungs tire much faster, your weight lifting routine feels like a drag, and you get fatigued real fast— Just like what happens when you start exercising for the first time.

Therefore, to get back in shape the right way, you must adopt the beginner’s mind. Forget about your past glories and treat your body the way you’ve done the first time you embarked on the exercise path.

The key here is to start slow and build gradually.

At first, start off with two easy workouts per week. Make sure that your workouts are low-impact—such as walking, biking, yoga or jogging. Then as you get stronger and fitter, add in more intensity and time until you’re back to your previous shape.

It may take you just a couple of weeks, or even a couple of months. But as long you keep going forward, you’ll definitely reach your destination.

Set Goals

One of the main reasons people lose enthusiasm with their training programs is the lack of a proper vision. A proper vision carries your forwards when all the odds are stacked up against you. And this vision can only be achieved via setting clear-cut, and specific goals.

Goals are exactly what you need to stroke your motivation, thus boost your chances of sticking with your routine for the long haul. Failure to plan is planning to fail as the saying goes. If you shy away from the goal setting process—whether you don’t know how to do it or just don’t want to—you’ll find yourself struggling to keep your exercise program going as you like.

As a result, grab a piece of paper and jog down your goals. Make sure that your goals are clear, specific and most importantly: realistic. Don’t let your past glories cloud your judgments; otherwise, going  for an over-board goals will definitely get you disappointed, or worse, hurt. So be careful and stay within your fitness current fitness skill.

Stick to it

It’s a fact of life. Sticking with exercise programs for life is an intimidating fact in itself. Nonetheless, there a few things you can do this to help you stick with your training program for the long haul. Here are a few:

• Rewrite your goals. The act of writing your goals and forgetting about them is futile. To ensure you’re improving and progressing with your fitness program, you need to keep readjusting and rewriting your goals regularly. This will not help you achieve more consistency, but it’ll also boost your motivation and training enjoyment once you start noticing your hard efforts paying off in stronger lifts, better timings and greater fitness gains.
• Make it habit. Human beings are creatures of habit, doubtless. We tend to repeat mostly the same physical and mental patterns day in and day out. And what gets repeated, gets reinforced. Therefore, make sure to take advantage of this natural instinct and aim to turn your workout routine into a daily part and parcel of your life. You can do this by committing to your exercise “ritual” for four consecutive, NON-STOP, weeks, according to Tony Schwartz, a productivity expert.
• Buddy up. You’re the people you surround yourself with. If you mingle with successful people, you’ll tend to catch the bug as well. And vice versa. As a result, buddy up with training partner and see your consistency and fitness gains soar as a result.

Conclusion

Here you have it.

The above steps can surely help you get back in shape (and stay fit) in no time. Nonetheless, what matters is the speed of implementation. So don’t wait for the perfect moment or the ideal conditions. Everything happens in the now, and change can take place in an instance. So cease the moment and start living (and exercising) NOW!

About the Author

Katy Lin works with David Dack fitness authors and enthusiasts. You can read more of David’s work in major fitness magazines and online publications. For more tips and training guidelines go to his blog Runner Blueprint. You can also follow David on Twitter: @DavidDack