Relight Your Fire

5 tips for reigniting your fitness passion

For many, fitness can follow a boom-and-bust pattern.  Many people can be deep in an intense fitness regime for multiple months, only to find themselves and worn out and too tired with the responsibilities of everyday life, the next.  Since the only thing more difficult than starting a fitness schedule is re-starting one, here are some tips for any wayfaring workout devotees who are trying to find their way back home.

1. Start small

When you think about returning to your regime, chances are you’re thinking that to exercise again you’ll have to start with where you left off. Whether this deters you from working out, or tempts you to want to return full-blown into the routine you were once used to, you should slow down and reconsider.  Remember that it’s been a while, and you’ll probably have to start building up your strength and endurance back to where it was.  You don’t want to burn yourself out. This takes time and patience and if you rush into it, you may be setting yourself up for disaster.

2. Try Something Different

A common reason that people stop exercising is simple boredom.  Routines can get lacklustre fast, so try to switch it up.  Most gyms and classes have a one-free-trial policy, so look online for lessons or classes near you and drop in for yoga, pilates, dancing lessons, karate, or capoeira.

3. Focus on Today

Regret can be a workout crusher and motivation destroyer!  Try not to feel guilty about lost workouts of your past and focus on what’s within your power now.  Keep your focus on the fact that you’re getting physical activity in your life again, instead of on the gap between where you are now and where you used to be. Think forward and focus on your future workouts.

4. Get Motivated

Getting mentally pumped before a run or workout is important.  Luckily with YouTube, it’s also really easy to check out videos of your favourite fitness icons.  If you focus on fitness-specific videos, it can also be a great way to learn new exercises, or incorporate new exercises into your routine that cater to any specific needs you might have.

Some YouTube recommendations:

BodyRock TV http://www.youtube.com/user/charliejames1975

Yoga with Esther Ekhart http://www.youtube.com/user/yogatic

DietHealth http://www.youtube.com/user/diethealth

Pilates Anytime http://www.youtube.com/user/PilatesAnytime?feature=pvchclk

5. Start

The hardest part of working out is putting one foot in front of the other and getting out the door. Luckily though, that’s all you have to do to get started. Put your shoes on and start walking – momentum will carry you from there!