Restarting your fitness goals does not have to be a burden. Here are five things to keep in mind as you approach the next step of your journey.
There are times when life gets busy, and you might find that you have fallen out of your typical gym routine. It could be an injury that kept you away, or it could be a new schedule, or just a difficult season of lift.
It can be daunting to restart at the gym after one of these periods away. Perhaps you feel that all your progress has been lost or as though you are no longer part able to keep up with that lifestyle. There is a fear of judgement, no matter how much we remind ourselves that people are extremely supportive here at CrossFit Billings. Whatever the fears may be, you will find many will dissipate after making that decision to come back through the door.
Once you do restart your CrossFit journey, there are a few things to keep in mind. Know that all the work you put in before is still there, and it will be faster to regain that to build the first time, but we still need to ease back in.
Don’t restart right where you left off.
Although it is difficult, you will have to accept that taking a step (or a few) backwards will be very necessary to rebuilding your fitness base. Do not expect to be exatacly where you were when you left the gym. You may need to scale workouts you would not have had to at a previous point.
Your lifts may be weaker and some of your skills will need sharpening. And yes, this can be frustrating. But the sooner you accept it, the sooner you can get right back on track to chasing down your goals.
Give yourself grace.
Imagine if a friend left the gym for a bit and came back to restart weeks or months later. Now they struggle with movements where they used to excel, and they take this as a failure.
In most cases, you would tell them you are proud of their decision to come back and keep fighting for their health and fitness. You would give tehm grace as they restart their journey, and that is exactly what you should give yourself.
Find a routine when restarting CrossFit.
Once you come back you may think to yourself ‘I am never taking that long of a break again.’ After all, getting your fitness back isn’t the most enjoyable process, especially when you remember how you used to feel.
Many times, people will go right back to five or six days a week of CrossFit classes, trying their best to get back into shape as quickly as possible. However, some things should not be rushed. This can often lead to a quick burnout, as the body isn’t ready for that level of volume.
Instead of going crazy, find a simple routine to restart with. Maybe three times a week you come to a class, maybe just twice. Make it a priority, and come to a class that you know you can be consistent with. Allow yourself to adjust to the workouts, then if things are going well in a few weeks, you can add another day. No matter the routine, allow for multiple rest days to let your body recover.
If you would like some more tips on how to set and achieve your goals, click here.
It never has to be all or nothing.
The all or nothing mentality can mess with a lot of people. We think if we can not do everything, then we might as well not even bother.
But something is always better than nothing. If you made it a priority to CrossFit every Wednesday, and you miss all the classes that day, go for a twenty minute run or walk, or do a ten-minute circut of pushups, air squats, and situps. This will keep you in the routine, and you are far more likely to go to that next CrossFit class, instead of throwing in the towel because you missed a day of routine.
Appreciate your individual journey.
It is difficult to restart your CrossFit journey. However, there is also beauty to be found in the rebuilt. Instead of seeing it as a chore to get back to where you were, appreciate every little milestone.
CrossFit is not something we have to do – we get to do it. It is something that brings us together in community while we chase down our goals of fitness and health. We have all had those periods of life where nothing is working out. We have all had to restart with something at one point or another.
So, take it all in stride. Recognize that you have a journey ahead, but do not get into the mindset of hating the restart. Use it as an opportunity to build yourself up in a different way, and do it alongside people who are there to support you at every step.
