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Getting Back in the Game: Adding Fitness to Your Life

If you’re currently unhealthy or simply out of shape, at one point in your life, you probably considered yourself to be rather fit. It’s also highly likely that one of your goals in life is to eventually return to that level of fitness.

When there’s a drastic difference between what you’re capable of now and what you were capable of when you were in your prime, you might be at a loss for what to do to help get you there.

It might be difficult, but there’s plenty that you can do to make progress.

Being Realistic

The first thing you need to remember is that it might not be physically possible to return to the shape you were previously in. That comes as a result of the aging process, which can drastically impact your strength, cardiovascular endurance, and body composition.

Thinking about the fitness regimen you previously participated in when you were at your prime, it was most likely rather intense. You were probably setting new personal records every other week and building mass like there’s no tomorrow.

You can’t just jump right back into that same routine and expect your body to be able to adapt. There are several reasons for that. Take a look.

● Since you stopped exercising at that intensity, your body became deconditioned. You’ve lost muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

● Your body is no longer accustomed to the intensity and frequency of those workouts. Immediately jumping back into the swing of things can lead to injury to the bones, joints, or muscles.

● You likely haven’t performed those exercises in years. You’ll need to start at a lower weight in order to perfect your form before advancing to heavier weights and more intense exercises.

In order to guarantee progression toward your ideal body type, you need to be realistic. It would be great if you could just pick up where you left off and continue your journey, but that’s physically impossible in most cases.

To prevent the development of an injury and ensure success, you need to start the process slowly.

Starting Slow

To get yourself back into the game, the best thing you can do is start slowly and work on improving your level of fitness.

Here’s how you can do that.

● Determine your current 1RMs. If you previously were able to bench press 200 pounds but have recently taken three years off, the last thing you should do is immediately attempt to lift 200 pounds. What you should do is start with a lower weight and figure out what your 1RMs currently are. You can then adapt your routine around your current strength levels rather than what you were previously capable of.

● Focus on major exercises. It’s reasonable to want to focus on building larger biceps or triceps, but the best way to ease back into a lifestyle that consists of resistance training is performing multi-joint exercises. That might mean doing cable rows to work on the back and biceps rather than performing bicep-specific exercises as well. As you begin to progress, you can broaden your horizons when it comes to the exercises you perform.

● Physically start slow. If you previously participated in aerobic activities like running or bicycling, you can’t expect to lace up a pair of running shoes and run three miles. Given the strain placed on the heart and other muscles while running or doing any other aerobic activities, you should focus on pacing yourself and determining what you’re currently capable of.

It’s sometimes pretty difficult to get yourself back in the game, especially after you’ve taken several years off and “lost your way” in terms of health habits and body composition. Nevertheless, it is possible if you are willing to put in the effort.

Final Thoughts

When you decide to add fitness into your life after taking several months or years off, it can be somewhat disheartening to realize just how much you’ve “let yourself go.” It’s extremely likely that your current level of fitness is nowhere near where it once was.

If you’re willing to let go of your ego and make major lifestyle changes, it’s possible to make strides toward your fitness goals. You just need to remember to start slowly and remember that your body needs time to adjust to your new lifestyle.