10 Tips to Ease the Transition Back to the Gym

If it’s been a while since you have worked out and you are thinking about going back, this post is for you!  I worked out daily until I had my girls.  Both of them were born close together and the younger one had many health issues, so I had to take a gym break for a couple years.  You can read about my daughter’s story in the About Me section on this blog.  One day recently, I was chasing my 3 year old, trying to her into the car for school (you moms can relate,) and I was so out of breath.  So I knew it was time to get back to working out.

1.  Eat a good breakfast – This is very important.  I try to eat a high protein breakfast.  My breakfast of choice is my Almond Butter Overnight Oatmeal.  That breakfast sustains me throughout my workout.

2.  Recruit a workout buddy –  This works great because you can help support each other.  I don’t have one, so if you are in Richardson TX area, I would love to help support you!

3.  Realize the hardest part is getting there – I’m not going to lie, I often think about skipping the gym, but once I am there, I am totally fine and I feel so good after.

4.  Listen to your body –  We are all on different paths in our journey towards better health, so our goals are going to be different.

5. Set short term goals as well as long term goals –  Setting small goals for yourself will allow you to celebrate each small victory, instead of looking all the way down to the long term goal.

6.  Get some good music – This is really important too.  Good music with a fast beat can really get you moving at the gym!

7.  Don’t skip the weights –  Weight training, along with cardio, is so important.  It helps your muscles get lean and can also boost your metabolism!  One other amazing benefit is that weight training can increase your bone density.

8. Stop looking at the scale numbers – When you weight train, your weight will go up because muscle weighs more than fat.  So don’t go by the scale, go by how loose your clothing is.

9.  Think positively – It sounds corny, but it really works!

10. Love yourself and your body – This is very important and something I am trying to work on.  Let’s face it, if you have had a baby, your body might never be the same.  I didn’t get stretch marks, but I do have a little loose skin around my tummy that makes me feel a little self conscious.  I work out, but nothing has helped it.  I am trying to accept myself for what I am and tell myself that it’s about how I feel, not how I look.

I hope these tips can help you like they have helped me.  Remember this:

cbe1754ccecf11e1827612313814176c_7

 

11 thoughts to “10 Tips to Ease the Transition Back to the Gym”

  1. I love the tip about getting good music! I die at the gym with out it. My favorite app is RockMyRun. It has several mixes with different lengths and paces and it lets you choose the genre and even if you want clean or original lyrics! Its continuous and fun and helps me stay motivated through my whole workout!
    1. I used to work out at the 24 hour fitness at Coit and Campbell. For the last 4 months, I have been doing Bikram yoga and I am love! It has given me my abs back! It's also at Coit and Campbell. I usually go to the 6:30pm class.
  2. I am trying to recruit my brother to be my workout buddy and I'm glad that you suggest that tip as well! He is overweight and I know that eating right and getting a gym membership would be a great start to the whole process. I do a lot of cardio and not as much weights so I will have to look at some different workouts that involve both. Thank you for these great tips, any other advice that you have would be greatly appreciated!
    1. You are so welcome! Try and be supportive to him and maybe find some fun classes to get him motivated? Set small goals for each other that come with a rewarding treat at the end? Yoga is another great option for something different. Good luck! :)
  3. I agree that one of the main reasons I don't go to the gym a lot is because I don't have someone to go with. I used to go with my wife, but then her work schedule changed and now we can't go at the same time. Perhaps I can call up my sister or brother and have one of them go with me. I'm sure they'd appreciate going with someone as well.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *