How To Reestablish Exercise Consistency After Illness, Surgery, Vacation, Or Otherwise
Today’s Topic Highlights:
Falling off the exercise wagon is very common. Some combination of illness, surgery, vacation, and/or plain laziness is realistically unavoidable over the course of a lifetime.
The foundation of exercise consistency hinges on one thing - habit. Habits are most effectively built through cues, rewards, and simplicity.
The best way to strengthen exercise consistency is not to lose it in the first place. Always keep a menu of easy, small scale exercises in the back of your mind that can be pulled out in any situation. This helps keep the general habit in place.
If exercising alone is hard for you to commit to, consider joining forces with a friend or family member. Mutual accountability is a powerful tool and also makes what otherwise feels like a chore more enjoyable.
Mindset is the soil of thoughts, and thoughts drive actions. We act largely based on what we think. In order to change behavior, you must first change your mindset.
Falling off the exercise wagon is very common. Truth be told, it happens to all of us at some point. Some combination of illness, surgery, vacation, and/or plain laziness is realistically unavoidable over the course of a lifetime. The question is how to reestablish the groove you previously had, and lock it in moving forward. Regardless of the situation at hand, everything starts with the mind.
Illness, surgery, vacation, and laziness are four very different obstacles to address as a group. Nonetheless, the foundation of exercise consistency is the same for all of them and hinges on one thing - habit. When habits are strong, obstacles are only temporary setbacks.
A great resource I highly recommend for general habit development is the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book applies well not only to exercise but for every other area of life as well.
Secondary to habit development is strategy. Getting back into exercise after a major surgery or illness requires a slower and more careful approach than returning home from a 3 week vacation. Think about the specific obstacles you are facing and formulate a strategy to overcome those. Every life situation is different and requires a certain degree of nuance.
Accountability is another key ingredient. If exercising alone is hard for you to commit to, consider joining forces with a friend or family member. Mutual accountability is a powerful tool and also makes what otherwise feels like a chore more enjoyable. Of course the most surefire way to reestablish a lost exercise habit is to hire a reputable personal trainer (yours truly).
Below are some specific strategies for getting back into exercise following a hiatus.