What to do when your routine is working against you.
Being new at something has its own set of unique challenges; I think we've all been there and can think back to some of the obstacles you faced as a new exerciser, but what do you do when you find yourself outside of your routine and struggling to gain consistency again?
I've had the privilege of working with a wide spectrum of clients from all walks of life. In my experience, clients that are new to exercising have a different set of needs and obstacles than those who have been engaged in fitness in some capacity for some part of their life. When you're brand new to something as you engage in a new hobby or skill, you gain learned knowledge about yourself, and from that knowledge, you begin to tailor your craft. This absolutely applies to exercises of all types!
Learning about yourself is the key to your health, and that knowledge is so powerful! So powerful, in fact, sometimes it's what keeps us from reengaging with our fitness routine when we find ourselves in a time of life where we haven't been able to keep exercise a top priority.
When you know yourself and know what you're capable of, it can be a daunting task to feel like you're a beginner again, but now with all of this new knowledge about yourself and your abilities.
Maybe this is controversial, but, here is my advice: if you're an advanced exerciser and you want to get back to your routine, embrace the suck. Embrace that the first two weeks to a month just stinks. You're not as strong as you were, you're not as agile, or practiced. Workouts feel harder and can be approached with less enthusiasm because instead of a great workout, you're sucking wind reminded of your old personal bests. And that's ok.
The unpredictability of life in the last three-ish years has upended most people's ability to plan beyond the day--really and truly. If you have kids in school, work in an office, run your own business, or punch a clock--your time and day are often dictated by others' needs. That can feel and be overwhelming. The last thing your body wants is more overwhelm.
Keep in mind as you return to your routine, that while it may not feel great, you've gained a lot of knowledge about yourself. The insights you've gained will help guide you back to exercise feeling good (whatever that means for you) if you allow it. Do your best to approach your workouts without judgment. Focus on the parts you enjoy, even if it's not strictly about the workout itself. I know for one of my clients, the *only* thing she said she was excited about in returning to workouts after a long time away, was all of the good music she was going to revisit. Great--that's her lever. I advised her to use that as her focus. Using that as her focus allowed her to create a Spotify playlist that she really enjoyed adding music to and before she knew it, her playlist was helping her get into her routine.
I always advocate being kind to yourself, especially if you have a difficult relationship with moving your body. I want to highlight; being kind to yourself doesn't mean that you don't have any requirements for yourself. Sometimes being kind to yourself means you remind yourself that you have a tougher shell than you think, and feel at this moment. You can do hard things. You can push through knowing the positive impact that getting back to a routine will bring you.
Certainly, there comes a time when you need to pause and reflect. Embracing the suck is only a smart strategy for pushing through those initial difficulties around the mental, emotional, and physical energy it takes to reengage in a routine. My coaching approach always puts mental health and well-being at the top of the priority list, so if you've been "embracing the suck" for a month and you've not experienced a significant shift in your approach to exercise and are starting to feel the positive outcomes, it's wise to take a pause and possibly enlist some help. It may be that your old routine doesn't inspire you or spark you anymore. If you've shown up for yourself and put in the time, I'd suggest that a month is enough time to determine that it wasn't a one-off workout that wasn't great, or you were tired, underfed, hormonal, etc--you've come far enough to determine if it's time to create an entirely new structure and carve out a new routine.
Enlisting a coach who can be your collaborative partner, (because you aren't new to this, just facing some obstacles), could be key to you finding your personal harmony in a new routine. In the comments, I'd love to hear about the unique obstacles you're facing and what strategies you've used to navigate getting back to routine.
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