Before You Hit The Gym …
With the long anticipated re-opening of gyms happening in Victoria from tomorrow, many of us are keen to get back to doing what we love.
Before lockdown there may have been those who were stronger than ever and hitting new personal bests. There may have been those who were in a rhythm with routine and finally starting to feel in a good place with balancing their lifestyle. Or those that were keen to start in the gym and didn’t get the chance to be fully immersed in the environment before gyms closed.
No matter what place you were in, restrictions really rocked the boat with a lot of people’s progress. A place that plays a role in so many different ways, a place to look after yourself, to socialise, to relieve stress. An outlet for so many.
I’m sure I’n not alone in feeling that I’ve not only been setback with my goals, but have gone slightly backwards in terms of my strength and body composition. And that can really play on your mind and ultimately will influence the approach you take when returning to gym.
Here are some key mind shifts to make when returning to the gym:
Choose to start now - avoid waiting for a certain date. While a Monday, a New Year, or in this case, the opening of gyms may be the perfect start date for a health kick, the truth is you can make changes in any moment! Waiting for a certain date to make all these changes to your lifestyle as an ‘all or nothing approach’ may be exciting, but can also be difficult to navigate and stay on top of. Implementing one thing at a time and making that change intuitively is a much more sustainable approach.
Don’t restrict yourself! Chances are, like me, you’ve been indulging and finding comfort in food the past few months. A perfectly normal thing to do that makes us human! Gyms for many are a comfort, a place to relieve stress, and when that was taken away, it’s only natural to seek comfort from another source. However, as much as you may feel you have “overdone” your favourite foods lately, there is no reason you should banish them from your diet come tomorrow. Restricting can lead to patterns of disordered eating, such as binging, so it is imperative that we nourish our bodies and satisfy our souls as well. Our favourite foods can still be enjoyed when they are accounted for in our energy balance! Having foods you love is all a part of establishing a balanced and sustainable approach to health.
You are not starting at square one - you have already come so far. Your body image and self esteem may not be peaking right now, mine certainly isn’t. But no amount of time off can reverse the knowledge and experience you’ve gained from the time spent so far. Upon returning to training, you’ll find that strength has decreased yes, but the skill you developed is also rusty. Your muscle memory will kick in and strength will quickly return.
Just remember everybody else is in the same boat!
Appreciate functionality over appearance - I know it is so, SO hard to not focus on your appearance when your body image may not be peaking at this moment. I am right there with you. But your body truly is so much more than how you look. Your body is your vessel through life that is designed to get you from A to B. How your body looks is simply a by-product of how you use it. How your body feels and functions is what’s really important for measuring your health.
That being said, upon returning to gym, focus on your strength and performance goals rather than worrying about returning your body to how you looked three months prior. The time will pass anyway, but it will be a lot more enjoyable if you love the process.
Ease yourself into it - Your previous routine may have involved early wake-ups and 5 x heavy training sessions a week. Off the back of three months out of routine, this first week is going to feel extremely hard and likely will leave you feeling very tired and sore. Aiming for 2-3 days per week as you start up again will make the transition much easier and you will be surprised how quickly you can progress by prioritising rest and being kind to your body. If you’re after more training specific tips, I highly recommend you check out Episode 003 of the Jarrod Brown Podcast before you send it!
Healthy eating and exercising are tools that you can use to improve the quality of you life. They do not define you and they do not have to take over your life. When chasing any sort of goal it is imperative to be consistent, and the easiest way to do that is to fall in love with the process.
So before you hit the gym, don’t forget to love yourself for everything you are already.
Mel xx