how to jump back into exercise

Easy Ways To Move Your Body When You Don’t Really Feel Like It

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Anybody else have a love/hate relationship with exercise? When I’m on a roll, I love exercising. For a while anyway. Then as time goes on I start getting bored with doing the same things over and over again. I start thinking I should be seeing more progress than I’m actually seeing. Then I begin to let the excuses creep in. Before long, I’ve let one excuse lead to another, and BOOM! I’m looking in the mirror wondering what happened. Then, the cycle starts all over again.

We all know it’s important. So we’ll skip the mundane details as to why it’s important. Obviously it makes our hearts and bodies more healthy, keeps us strong, helps our skin, improves our energy levels, and lends us lots of endorphins. Blah blah blah. 😉

But let’s talk about some ways to ease back in to exercise once we’ve let the excuses creep in. Because once we feel we’ve “fallen off the band wagon” it can feel nearly impossible to “hop back on”.

Go for a walk

Ok I know this one sounds super simple, but as for me, it can work really well. When you can’t even fathom getting your gym clothes on, facing your once-gym-friends, and struggling through a workout at the gym, you need an alternative. Going for a walk gets you out and moving, and leaves you feeling better physically and emotionally. If a simple walk is not quite enough to make you feel accomplished, try stretching it out to a long walk. Just get yourself outside, and walk for as long as your body will let you. You may be sore the next day, but that’ll be enough to make you feel like you’re getting your groove back. You can also make it a short jog, if that’s more your style.

Do something different

I used to be a runner. Any time I’d exercise, it was running. I’d do the same thing every. single. time. I’d run. Finally I learned that it helps bump up my motivation level and keeps things interesting if you change things up. Now that I’ve thrown myself into all different kinds of workouts, I’ve actually left running in the dust. Not that you have to do that. But there are so many options out there!

Jump onto Pinterest and search for home workouts, workouts to do with your kids or family, or ways to burn calories and build muscle. You’ll find so many ideas. Then, start where you can, and go from there.

Try A Group Fitness Class

 My current favorite. By far. When I first switched my focus away from running, I was doing a lot of home workouts (which really propelled me into being stronger than I had ever been at the time, believe it or not). My husband saw how committed I was to fitness, and for Valentine’s Day he surprised me with a bag full of workout clothes and a year-long membership to a local gym. I smiled and was super thankful! But I was not sure how I’d work that in, because I absolutely loved my home workouts!

Turns out, this gym offered absolutely AMAZING group fitness classes. Not only myself but also my husband became completey hooked on them, and we do several classes every week. There are so many different types of classes, so we get a great, well-rounded workout, and we don’t’ get bored with doing the same things over and over again. It’s really great because when you need something intense, there’s that. If you need something low-key, there’s that as well. And if you really need to scale it back, there are classes for that too. It’s a win-win for us, and now we say we’ll never not have a membership. It’s become our community, where we feel connected, and a total motivator to lace up those sneakers, and get in that workout.

Something to think about, different gyms cater to different needs. The one we chose is very family friendly. There’s a great child care option, and because of the diverse group of individuals who attend this gym, you never have to feel like you’re less-than-par. You can just show up, do what you want and need to do, and have a blast in the meantime!

Grab a friend

This can be a really nice way to get motivated. You can either make a commitment to workout together, or you can make a commitment to holding each other accountable. You can even get a group of people who have similar goals, and start a little challenge group together! I do this from time to time. I get a group of ladies together, we all join a private Facebook group, and we check-in daily. This is one of the BEST ways to really get your health and fitness on track. You’ll find that there’s power in numbers, and everyone involved begins to motivate, inspire, and hold each other accountable. There is nothing like having a group of like-minded individuals working together toward a common goal.

Just Move Your Body In A Way That Feels Good To You

It’s not always easy to jump back into working out, but it’s so healthy, and your body will thank you! Press through those first couple of workouts, even if they’re challenging. The best part is that it usually only takes one or two workouts to start feeling really good. You’ll be back in your groove in no time at all.

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