Fitness Collapse: Your 10 Step Recovery Plan

As the year keeps edging forwards some of our fitness goals may have been forgotten and left back in January.  If your in a fitness collapse what do you do to get out of it?  Below is a 10 step recovery plan to help you shake the fitness blues & jump back on the health wagon.

10 Step Recovery Plan

1. Figure out why: This may sound obvious but working out is so mental.  If your mentally checked out of your workouts most likely there is a hidden reason.  They could be any of the following; bored, tired, hate working out, no time, no accountability.  Those are some of the most common complaints.  Now when you narrowed down your reason investigate why.  If you're bored why?  Do you need a new routine, do you lack creative workouts to do at the gym, do you need to attend a new group fitness class?  The more you can really dig deep into your reason the better understanding you will have behind your why so it won't happen 2 weeks later.
2. Record your goals: If you're just heading to the gym because you have to try creating fitness goals.  Record what you are trying to accomplish each month.  Maybe one month you try focusing on yoga, the next you want to play tennis, then heavy weight lifting.  Mix it up that helps fight boredom.  Each month this year I've made my own promises by recording them on something and sharing it with people I'm more likely to stick to those goals.  See my march promise above.
3. Find a friend or accountability partner: A lot of people have a tough time going to the gym for the first time by themselves.  Gyms are intimidating especially when you don't know what to do.  You walk into a brand new gym and all the cardio equipment is taken, now you venture to the weights and have no idea what you're doing, that's scary.  So to help you feel more at ease with the process try finding a friend to come to the gym with you to help ease that anxiety.  A bonus if you find a friend that knows what their doing.  If that is not an option, hire a personal trainer for a session or two at your gym.  This will take off the stress of not knowing what your doing.  They are their to help and show you how to do things correctly.  So that could be the best investment you make at a gym if you don't have a lot of training experience.
4. Mix up your workout: If you have been doing the same workout since January it is time to change it up.  Workouts get stale if you do the same thing month after month.  Let alone that is not going to help you reach your fitness goals.  You need to mix up your routine monthly to accomplish your goals.  So try a new group fitness class, take your workouts outside, or workout at home a few days a week.  Something to break up the scenery for yourself.
5. Make a new playlist: A lot of people at the gym listen to music, myself excluded.  I prefer no music when lifting I don't like having the strap on my arm, I'm odd I know. One way to get excited about the gym is to make a new playlist to download 10 new songs it will cost you about $13.  So for $13 you can have a new outlook at the gym.  For lifting studies say that rap songs are the best.  Now if you're not into rap find 10 songs that will pump you up.
6. Create a workout calendar: I personally love doing this for myself and my clients.  At the start of each month I create a workout calendar for my clients so they know what to do each day of the week.  That way they have the big picture for the month and they just need to put their workout into their calendar.  After each workout completed put a star in that day.  On days I don't get to my workout I usually put a sad smiley face in the box.  I don't like seeing those so that motivates me to get back into the routine the next day.
7. Stick to your routine: Getting and sticking to a new routine can be hard. Give yourself at least 21 days to form a new routine.  After those 21 days you should start to feel better and notice on the days you don't get to the gym your body starts to crave movement.
8. Don't beat yourself up over missed workouts: Working out is not an all or nothing situation.  You get busy you miss a workout here and there.  Don't let one day mess you up for the rest of the week.  A lot of people get angry with themselves for falling off the wagon after a bad week.  Fitness is a lifestyle, remember that mantra.
9. Track your progress: You can track your progress in either weight loss, inches lost, body fat, pant size.  Or by tracking off your workouts on the calendar.
10. Reward yourself: After tracking your progress now is time to reward yourself.  Look at your goal and when it is reached celebrate!  Don't just say on to the next goal, celebrate what you did accomplish.

Now with the above tips hopefully one or two resonate with you if you have been feeling like your falling off the wagon.  Try to implement some of them into your new fitness regime.

As always check out SaFire Training for more fitness tips & inspiration.  If you want even more motivation our newsletter is packed full of goodies that we send out weekly plus 6 free fitness reports.

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