How To Restart Your Fitness Plan After a Long Hiatus

It’s never too late to restart your fitness journey, even if you’ve taken a long break from working out. Getting back in shape comes with its own set of challenges, but in many ways, returning to regular exercise is easier than starting out for the first time. However, depending on how long your break was, trying to pick up where you left off could be a recipe for failure, or put you at risk of injury. These are our top tips for restarting your fitness plan and getting back in shape after a long hiatus.

Get Motivated

Setting the right mindset before you begin is important for any undertaking. Before you start working out again, review the reasons why exercise is important to you, and what you want to achieve. Maybe you like the community of group classes, or you want to feel healthier, or you want to look great. Whatever your goals, acknowledge them and keep them in mind as you plan your reentry to fitness. 

Start Slow

One way to ease back into fitness is to remember how you got started the first time around. Looking back, it’s probably reassuring to know that you didn’t start out doing high-intensity workouts—your fitness level progressed gradually, over time. When restarting your fitness plan, you might want to revisit some of those beginner workouts to see how they feel, and go from there.  

Be Realistic 

It’s tempting to shake off a long hiatus by diving back into exercise head-first, but committing to intense workouts five days a week right off the bat puts you at risk of getting discouraged and giving up. When it comes to the health benefits of exercise, consistency is key, and twenty minutes of activity per day is better than two hours pumping iron once a week—and easier to manage at first.

Restore The Habit 

Experts say that building a habit takes about six weeks of regular practice. You might remember that from the first time you started to make working out a habitual thing. The most important thing you can do in these early days is to make your gym visits or workouts consistent again, in whatever way works with your new schedule.

Change It Up

Boredom is a common reason people stop going to the gym. Doing the same workout routine is bound to get stale after a while. Alternatively, your goals or other lifestyle factors may have changed while you were on a break. Get excited about fitness again by trying something totally new to you. Maybe you used to do early morning yoga classes, but now an afternoon jog is what you need. Experiment and have fun as you find your new fitness groove.

Strength In Numbers

One way to get back into fitness and stick with it is to get a workout partner or join a fitness group of some sort. Making an appointment to meet a friend at the gym keeps you both accountable, and it can make working out more fun. On the same note, joining a community of other people who are fitness-minded, like a cycling group or a recreational sports team, adds a social aspect to exercise that has been proven to keep people more engaged over the long term. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends.

Hire A Trainer

Just like a workout partner, making an appointment with a trainer will make sure you show up for the gym. Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to jumpstart your fitness goals, whatever your fitness level. Even if you only arrange a few sessions, a trainer will help you create a routine and teach you a variety of exercises, setting you up with a strong foundation for you to build from on your own going forward.

Try A Body Treatment

Just like a personal trainer, an aesthetic treatment provider is there to help you achieve your physical goals. Body treatments are ideal for quickly melting away stubborn fat, slimming down areas such as the abdomen and thighs, and tightening lax skin, giving you a leg up on your fitness journey. Restarting your exercise routine will make you feel good; body treatments will help you look as good as you feel. The most popular treatments include:

Fat Reduction: a non-surgical treatment powered by diode laser technology that breaks down stubborn fat cells for a slimmer, smoother physique with no downtime.

Body Slimming: a non-surgical treatment that can target both smaller, hard-to-hit areas like the arms and jawline, and larger, more common problem areas like the abdomen and thighs for a slimmer, more defined shape. 

Cellulite Reduction: a non-surgical treatment that smoothes away fat cells to reduce the look of bumps and dimpling and can be customized to target cellulite at any stage with no downtime.

Skin Tightening: a non-surgical skin tightening treatment that uses radio frequency to naturally boost collagen production, resulting in tighter, smoother skin on the face and body.

Trim&Tite™: a non-surgical skin tightening solution, best for toning and sculpting after weight loss or a fat reduction treatment.

Getting back in shape is a challenge, but you can do it, and Venus Concept can help. Find a qualified provider of our state-of-the-art aesthetic treatments near you by using the search field below.