The winter holidays are meant to be enjoyed – but unfortunately, they usually don’t include eating healthy or exercising. And there’s no secret that most people struggle to get back into training after a few days off.
Why is it so challenging to get back to exercising after the winter holidays? Can you do anything to restart your fitness routine?
Time away from the gym comes with a more relaxed perspective because you have less discipline, fewer responsibilities, and less care. Returning to your regular fitness routine might be a harsh return to reality. You might even build the illusion that you extend your vacation if you put off healthy eating and exercising.
However, because you indulged in beverages and foods that aren’t part of your normal routine during the winter holidays, you might gain some weight or get in a dull mood. When you’re in a dull mood, you are more likely to crave unhealthy food or feel less motivated to return to the gym. But as fun as the holidays were, you need to ease back into your regular schedule.
Here are some simple recommendations that might help you.
Just do it
Just do it, not because Nike says it, but because the more you think about it, the more excuses you’ll find. Even if you might feel like you have to drag yourself to the gym for the first couple of days, you should buy the subscription and schedule exercising in your agenda. You’ll feel better for taking the initiative later. Also, once you get back into training, you’re less likely to give up because you’ll enjoy the adrenaline pumping in your veins.
While trying to decide when the ideal time for coming back to the gym is you might think that you’re too out of shape to exercise in a public space. Remind yourself that everyone has started from the same place once, and you won’t magically get back in shape if you wait at home. You might have lost some of your fitness over the holidays, but it’s much better than how out of shape you’ll be in a couple of weeks or even months.
Set a deadline
So maybe you’re not ready to start exercising this week, but that’s okay. But it would help if you established a deadline. You didn’t exercise during the holidays but spent your days eating greasy food and staying awake late at night, so you feel unmotivated and sluggish. Give yourself a few days or a week to recover and nourish your body, and then get back to it. Don’t be too harsh with yourself for not returning to the gym on January 1st. Set a deadline to renew your gym subscription and stick to it, no matter if you still feel tired. You’ll feel much better and have more energy once you start training again.
Suppose you don’t feel ready to get back to the gym yet; set some at-home workouts and outdoor walks.
Listen to your body
If there’s one piece of advice all fitness experts will offer when easing back into training and movement after a break, it’s this: Listen to your body. Your body should tell you the pace at which you train and how much stress it can handle, so pay attention to what it’s saying. You might feel in pain and exhausted after the first workout, so remember to take something for your pain. You can use cannabis to lower inflammation and alleviate pain associated with exercising because it’s a natural supplement that enables fitness enthusiasts to recover. Look online for feminised seeds if you want to take advantage of this option.
Be easy on yourself when you restart a fitness routine because your body might have lost some of its strength. Remember that life is meant to be lived, so adopt a training schedule that fits your lifestyle and doesn’t put any extra stress on your body. And if you need help to manage post-workout symptoms, check the products from Seedsman because they could prove helpful when combined with a healthy diet.
Get yourself a training buddy
Sometimes it’s easier to do something when we benefit from someone’s help. Ask one of your friends to join you on this journey and you’ll keep each other accountable. If you’re struggling with sticking to your workout schedule, one of your gym buddies can pick you up for workouts. You can also collaborate in preparing meals to share ideas and maintain motivation. If you had a gym buddy before the holidays, let them know when you plan on returning to the gym so they can check up on you.
People usually don’t reach out for support because they don’t want others to know they struggle. But remember that we’re all humans and have our individual challenges, so don’t feel ashamed to tell your friends that you struggle to get back to training. Also, don’t feel guilty that you gained some unwanted pounds, which most people had during the winter holidays.
Set small goals
You know the old saying you have to walk before you can run – it’s true, especially when it comes to getting back to your fitness routine. Before doing push-ups, you need to build strength in your arms, so you do curls and chest exercises.
When you return to the gym after the winter holidays set measurable and specific goals to stay motivated; setting small goals allows you to accomplish them and feel rewarded. If you set a large goal, break it into small steps so you can work gradually to achieve it. It might also be a great idea to hire a personal trainer to assist you in your journey because they’ll evaluate your fitness and create a personalised program you can follow.
Final words
The worst thing you can do is stay away from the gym for an extended period. Remember why you first bought your gym subscription and how good you felt training before the holidays. Please don’t get too attached to your holiday body because it’s not supposed to last all year long!