You might have taken a break from the gym or your fitness goals to focus on your work/family. Now that you've brought them to a point where you can bring your focus back to your own health, you're working on making realistic fitness goals and getting back into a fitness routine. How will you prepare?
New goals
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Where do you want to be? What is your fitness goal? You might want to lose weight, gain muscle, eat healthier, or just maintain your fitness at a certain level. If you're getting back into it after a while, you will likely want to reevaluate your goals frequently to find where your body is at and create realistic fitness goals.
Create new fitness and diet plans
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Fitness and diet are tightly intertwined. No matter your goals, be sure to consider both of them. The proper nutrition is required to fuel your fitness goals. This doesn't need to be complicated. You can start simple and add more onto that as you feel ready. If you already have a good idea of what works, you can begin with that and see if it continues to work.
Listen to your body
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Take small steps to ease yourself back into your (new) fitness routines. Remember that it's been some time and your body needs to adjust to the new routine. As you build new connections in your body and train new pathways, your body will require the appropriate rest and recovery. Be sure to listen to your body and learn your new limits as you adapt to your new routines.
Anticipate some resistance
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As you begin going back to the gym, you will need to break some of the routines you created since you stopped. Many of these might have crept up on you while your attention was on more important things. It may be a little difficult to get back in the groove. That's ok! Stay focused on your goals and accept that your body needs some time to return to your gym rhythm. The discomfort you will feel is part of the process. Celebrate your exit from the comfort zone!
