Sometimes, its tough to take the first step and sign up for a gym membership. Other times, its hard to get back to your routine after a break. We round up five ways to get back into the swing of things and hopefully keep your fitness game going.
1.Find a friend
Pairing up with a workout buddy is one way to keep going with your fitness schedule. Making plans to work out together will make it harder to cancel, and make you both more accountable. Exercising with a friend or partner can also help you both stay motivated by congratulating each other on a workout well done and any goals reached. You could also make exercise more of a fun, social event by organising to grab a post-workout brunch or smoothie together.
2. Update your workout wardrobe
If you are struggling to get back to the gym, buying some new sportswear to show off might help. Alternatively make a new purchase a well deserved treat for hitting your exercise goals, it will help give you something to work towards.
3. Try a new class
Not only will a new sport or workout give your fitness regime a shake up, but it could also teach you some new skills and help you make some new friends. If you are always running why not try a Body Pump class for some resistance training? Already love resistance training? Stretch it out with some yoga. If you always swim breast stroke, book in with an instructor to teach you front crawl. The possibilities are endless!
4. Set a new goal
If you have taken a break from the gym, you might be feeling back to square one. Setting a new goal now that you are back is one way to get yourself more motivated to start again, and to push yourself further. Try signing up for a run or sponsored swim, set yourself a new amount of steps to walk each week, or increase your workouts from 3 per week to 4. It does not have to be too far or too much to start with, just something that is a challenge but also fun for you. Once you have achieved this goal, you can push yourself even further with another!
5. Keep track of your progress
Even if you are not working towards a goal, keeping a track of your workouts will show you how far you have progressed and help keep you going. Invest in a fitness tracker as part of your back to the gym kit, a bit like updating your stationery for school, and make sure you are wearing it daily to track all your activity as well as other important factors such as sleep. Alternatively, schedule workouts into your diary to keep a track of how many you make it to and what you achieved.
