After a week off exercise due to illness, you would think I would be itching to get back into my trainers. Despite having ‘fresh legs’, the last thing I wanted to do when my alarm went off this morning was work out. Unfortunately I had no excuses to even fall back on: other than a runny tap of a nose cold, I am back to myself; it was not raining; I slept for a solid 10 hours; I was not pressed for time.
I know it’s unlikely to lose my fitness levels in just a week so it was definitely more of a mental block. I played the “you’re one workout away from a good mood” card and ended up getting in a good sweat sesh- looks like August is off to a good start :). If you too are struggling to get back into your exercise routine after time-off:
- Ensure you’re fully recovered: I used to ignore this, and end up doing more harm than good. Exercise is meant to energise you, not leave you feeling drained so get the medical clearance before re-starting your routine.
- Fake it till ya make it: during my whole walk there, I kept telling myself how excited I was to get my legs moving. Once I hopped on it, I started believing it…somewhat.
- Strategically create a playlist: I made it a point to spread out my ‘upbeat’ songs rather than place them all at the top of my list. When my motiavation started to dwindle after the 30-minute mark, a lil bit of Chamak Challo was a surefire way to get me to crank it up a notch: Akon + Bollywood= match made in heaven 🙂 .
- Make it public: I know this may sound silly but Tweet/Facebook/tell a friend about your upcoming exercise plan. When people start commenting, it’ll be such a cop out to reply that you didn’t end up doing it.
- Be a Nike veteran, and by that I mean, Just Do It! The more you think about it/postpone it, the less likely you will end up doing it.
- Go easy on yourself: Before I started my run, I told myself that I could take as many walk breaks as necessary. Even though I ended up only taking one, it was nice to know that the option existed.
- Be realistic and recognize that your body may not be up to mark quite as yet: your goal should be to complete the workout, not smash it (but kudos if you do! 😉 )
How do you bounce back into exercise after time-off?
Making it public is the way to go! Today had planned to go to a TRX class with a friend and an hour before the class called to say i wasnt going to make it (just because i was lazy – had no real reason to cancel) but she motivated me to go and when I was done so glad I worked out! On a side note: TRX is a must try class – just finished my 1st one adn really enjoyed it.
Good on you starting August of with a good ol’ run!
Good on you for going! TRX sounds great, hope to try it soon!
Love Chamak Challo! Haha yeah i have to remind myself how you never regret working out after the fact 🙂 and how good and accomplished I feel afterwards!
I subscribe to the “Just Do It” mentality. Nothing else really does it for me other than forcing myself to get back to the grind! Great tips!
While I’m kind of not a fan of the fake it till you make it thinking, I def. like to channel Nike when i work out.
Right now I’m on a trip that is kind of like a vacation but not really, so I don’t know what I should do about workouts.
I want to just sit all day long and enjoy the monsoon weather, but I know that if I want to enjoy all of this delicious Indian food, I need to get up and get moving.
The problem with me is that I think I have shin splints…my left shin hurts like hell when I run, so I need to find more options.
Ah I totally know what you mean- it’s so hard to be motivated when staying in seems like the better option during monsoons! If your shins are hurting, perhaps light cross training will be ok- i would defo take it easy though!