5 Tips for Getting Back Into Fitness

Getting back into a routine after a hiatus can be overwhelming. I took a break from fitness this past summer when I had health issues and ended up putting off getting back into working out and eating healthy more than I should have. After going through this, I learned a few things that I hope help you get back on track.

1. Start but go slow. 
Sometimes it can be overwhelming just to start but the important thing her is to just start. I had so much anxiety over thinking about starting again. I knew I wouldn't be where I once was on day one and it saddened me. I had to go slow - pause the workout multiple times if need be. Things that were once easy for me to do weren't. I was okay with that because I knew that by starting, I was progressing already from where I was yesterday of doing nothing. Even a little bit, a few minutes here or there, can add up to a great overall picture. You don't have to be perfect to start, you just have to start.

2. Plan ahead. 
Don't let yourself fall off track due to poor planning. You must plan ahead to be successful. Take some time out to plan out your meals for the week. I can't stress enough how important meal planning has been in achieving my own goals. And if you are going out somewhere, plan ahead and take health snacks. In the beginning, it might also take a little more time to complete your workout, so plan ahead and don't get stressed out if that 30 minute workout takes an hour or an hour and a half.

3. Don't compare.
Along your journey, you probably see your friends posting about what they're doing or eating, or even hear it from them. Or perhaps they try to persuade you to go out to eat with them, not exercise, or eat unhealthy.  Whatever the case may be, you must ignore their advice and trust your own journey. Only you know your body. It is your journey and not anyone else's. It doesn't matter what someone else is doing or isn't doing. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is the person you were yesterday. Yes, that's right - yourself. As long as you are progressing, what does it matter? Don't let other people's opinions of you persuade you elsewhere. 

4. Focus on short-term goals.
It can be easy to get distracted by focusing on the big picture. Often we can think negative thoughts such as, "I'm not losing weight fast enough," or "I can't do a squat so why bother?" We must throw those out and focus on more short term goals. Sure, those are great long term goals but we must ask ourselves what can we do to get ourselves there? It could be to complete 5 minutes of a workout. By doing so, we become stronger and work towards our long term goals. Eventually 5 minutes can turn into 30 minutes and that squat that you wished so hard you could do before is suddenly your warm-up. So set up your short term goals as well as your long term ones.

5. Don't beat yourself up.

We all make mistakes and we stumble from time to time. Failure is just part of the process. We have to fail from time to time to learn and grow into strong individuals. We cannot beat ourselves up for failing. How can we get better if we don't fall? It gives us a place to learn from - see what we could have done differently to prevent it from happening again. 

It's okay to fail. Pat yourself on the back and say "I'll do better next time." It is in the past now, even if it just happened. Let it be. Move on and learn from it. Move forwards, not backwards.