Do you remember how it felt when you stopped exercising for a while only to feel numb and out of shape when you restarted? Only this time, you couldn’t help not skipping your routine because of the quarantine. The good news is that the restrictions are easing out gradually, making it the right time to resume workouts and rock nice streetwear outfits.
But, here’s the catch. Resuming workout sessions isn’t so easy peasy for everyone. Exercise ruts are very common and are part of the journey. Even the best of us fall into this pesky situation more often than not.
According to this study, 65% of Americans took time off their routines during the pandemic. Taking a break from your routine isn’t entirely wrong. However, resuming workouts the wrong way can be detrimental to your health and fitness routine. To help you ease into your workouts faster, we’ve put together these eight tips:
#1 – Have the Right Mindset
You shouldn’t feel pessimistic and low when you don’t hit your regular number of reps. It might be challenging to complete your regular warm-up. Besides, your mind might be discouraging you from continuing with your exercise routine.
Instead, rev your motivation and keep it high. Accept that there’s a lot of catching up to do, build your bespoke comeback plan, and celebrate small wins. Suppose you work in a desk job, like programming, administration, or twiftnews reporter; you might need to watch exercise videos and read articles to motivate you and help you start working out.
#2 – Understand the Rules
With the pandemic, it’s a world of seemingly endless rules out there. These rules are in place to curtail the spread of COVID-19. Resuming your routine is essential, but it’s more crucial to stay healthy and not contract the virus.
Study the facility rules in your city and abide by them. Also, adhere to social distancing while exercising and clean up surfaces with sanitizers.
#3 – Go Slow and Steady
Going slow and steady with your routine helps you not to break down. If you resume your chest workout using heavyweights, it could lead to physical injuries. Instead, start slowly from warm-ups and gradually increase the number of reps, weight used, and time spent exercising. This technique helps minimize muscle soreness.
#4 – Try a Massage Session
The right time to book a massage session is after a routine. Massage sessions can reduce body ache caused by exercise and relax the muscle, even beyond your expectation. They reduce your anxiety, stress, pain, and improve your wellness. When massaging, concentrate on body parts you exercised, such as the abs, calves, and arms.
#5 – Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Water transports the muscle-building nutrients in your body. Staying hydrated helps lubricate your joints and muscles while working out. Drink water even when you’re not thirsty. Drink before you start your exercise, right in the middle, and at the end of your training.
#6 – Make Healthy Nutrition Your Priority
Whether you’re bulking up or losing weight, nutrition plays a significant role in getting results.
If you want to build muscles, a rich protein-laden diet is vital. Bodybuilding exercises tear down the muscle fibers while proteins build them up. Having unusually low energy and not bulking up is a sign of low protein intake.
On the other hand, you may decide to mix your weight loss routine with a keto diet. In that case, you’d need to have a low carb, high-fat diet. If you eat carbs heavily, reducing it gradually rather than completely cutting off carbs will be a better approach.
Endeavor to eat a balanced diet that’s more suitable for your workout goals.
#7 – Practice a Healthy Lifestyle
Several healthy habits will help improve your exercise. Some of them are:
Get enough sleep
Sleep time is rest time for your muscles – your body cells get to work on rebuilding and repairing your worn-out tissues. Dedicate an average of eight hours to sleeping daily, so your body can rebuild your muscles before the next exercise.
Take a walk
Take a walk daily for warm-up, gradually increasing your pace and distance each day. These walks will help you get fresh air while relieving anxiety.
#8 – Exercise Regularly
Finally, you’d need to exercise regularly. I always recommend building up a comeback training plan by yourself, with an instructor, or using an app. The plan can range from one week to four weeks. It should include warm-ups, bodybuilding exercises like squats and lunges, cardio, and off days.
Conclusion
Coming back to your exercise routine after the quarantine might prove difficult. You could have sore muscles and little motivation.
However, there are several ways to mitigate that. Preparing yourself mentally and using a slow and steady approach to your routine helps a great deal. You’d also need to exercise regularly and have good nutrition, including eating a sizable quantity of protein. Another essential factor is hydrating during your workout. Besides, you can join a community or use a gym where you’ll meet like-minded people who will keep you motivated.
