Consistency is the key when following any sort of fitness and nutrition routine. The more time you spend training important elements of exercise like strength, flexibility, and skill, the more likely you are to achieve your goals. Life, however, comes at you unexpectedly sometimes and can hit pretty hard. She can knock you off of your routine quicker than Frazier went down and won’t have any regrets about it. That beating can come in the form of an injury, financial struggles, career changes, family matters, and a laundry list of other reasons that end up placing fitness at the bottom of your to-do list.
We get it. When you’re getting hit every which way a reset may be necessary for you manage whatever is stressing you and find a balance. What makes coming back to training more difficult is how much time you allow to go by before you start thinking about it again. For some, a few weeks can go by and eventually they find their way back in. For others, many months will pass followed by more weeks of contemplating and before you know it half a year has flown by and the thought of coming back remains just a thought.
Getting Over The Fear
Coming back to Crossfit from a long break is essentially just like starting all over again. We all remember what our first day of CrossFit was like right? We died! It hurt. You were sore as heck for days on end and it felt like all of these really fit people were just running circles around you. No one dreams of feeling like that again so why would you want to do it a second time? Well, you came back that second day didn’t you? Once you realize that starting over again doesn’t have to be difficult it makes getting over that hump much easier.
Here are some things you can do to help you get back from a slump, start over fresh, and fall in love with training all over again.
What You Can Do
- Get cleared by your doctor – If you’re recovering from an injury/post surgery you must ensure that you have been cleared by a licensed professional that has been overseeing your condition. The worst thing you can do is come back to training and re-injure yourself because your body just wasn’t ready. If your medical provider has cleared you with limitations you need to make them known to your coaches so modifications can be made to make your return as safe as possible.
- Give yourself a clean slate – There’s no use in comparing yourself NOW to who you were then. If it’s your first day back after being out for months you shouldn’t expect to be putting up the same numbers you had before. Allow yourself a few weeks to get familiar with working out all over again. Scale down movements and reps. Focus on moving correctly with great form. Your strength will return in with time and skills that you have developed will never go away. Your endurance will take time to get back to where it used to be but it’s ok. Enjoy the process.
Coming
- Make working out a priority. – Showing up for your workout should be just as important as showing up for your doctor’s appointments. Adjust your daily schedule to allow for training and get it done. Fitnessing is great for your health and shouldn’t be something you “maybe” do.
- Have someone hold you accountable. – If it’s hard for you to self-motivate ask a buddy to help you stay on track. Have them workout with you and get back into group training. Sitting in the suck is better when you’re doing it alongside others.
- Know it will be hard.. – Yes, you will be sore. Yes, your lungs will be on fire when you have to run for several rounds. It gets better. You owe it to yourself to feel great and give your body what it needs. With proper scaling as the weeks roll by you’ll start get back into your groove. You spent a lot of time away to expect it to be easy
- Rest/Recover. – Ensure that you are staying hydrated (especially during these summer months) and nourishing yourself properly. Junk food can make you feel bloated and decrease your energy levels which affects what you do in the gym. Drinking at least half your body weight in ounces on rest days (more if you’re training) and eating whole foods are what your body craves. Give it what it needs and you’ll find you’ll be in better spirits and have energy to make it through your workouts.
“Don’t Wait Too Long”
Don’t wait too long to find time for yourself again. Even if thirty minutes is all you have make the most of it and work hard. You owe it to yourself to feel good, look good, and above all be healthy. Your home is missing you so come meet us at the bar and let’s start cleaning again.
– Coach Cass