Haven’t Worked Out in a While? One Trick to Getting Back on Track

Maybe you had a baby six weeks ago and are just getting back to working out. Maybe you’ve been tending to the needs of sick kiddos with high demands or have been sick with the flu yourself. Maybe you’ve gone back to work after maternity leave and no longer have naptime to use for naps and instead you’re on conference calls and doing TPS reports. Whether it’s been a month or years since your last sweat session, it’s never too late to get moving — although it can be super hard to get back in the groove after some time off.

The mental energy barrier is hard to get over when it comes to adding fitness back into your life. But trust me: You WILL notice a huge uptick in energy almost immediately. It’s like exercise clears all the cobwebs out of your system and the energy you expend comes back tenfold. A lot of the mental hurdle that prevents people from exercising more is the idea that your exercise must look a certain way: You must put on your fancy activewear. You must get in the car and go to the gym and spend an hour pumping iron or doing the elliptical. Or you’ve gotta go outside and run for 30 minutes for it to count. Sure, maybe your workouts do look like that. And that’s awesome! But if they don’t or if it’s just not feasible to spend an hour every day getting to the gym, all is not lost.

I have a flexible schedule and I still find it hard to fit in fitness. The key is making it a priority. It’s got to be top of mind — something you think about several times a day just like you think about what you’re going to eat or drink several times a day. Stop thinking that you have to have 60 minutes to work out. Stop thinking that you have to have 30 minutes to work out. Start thinking that yes, maybe just 10 minutes can really make a difference. (It does, or we wouldn’t have written a whole book about it!)

We all know that you’re supposed to get about 30 minutes a day of exercise, so 10 minutes might not be the ultimate goal. But think of that 10 minutes as a gateway drug. Ten minutes today is better than no minutes yesterday. Heck, even 10 push-ups today is better than no push-ups yesterday. When it comes to exercise, something is always better than nothing, not only because it benefits your body, but because it keeps you in the habit of moving.

Once you start seeing where you can add exercise in here and there, it becomes easier to find either more time to exercise or you’ll come up with multiple times in your day when you can do it to add up to a stronger you. So start small: Focus on making movement a habit every day. Got time for five push-ups when you get out of bed? Do it. Can you do 10 lunges while you’re waiting for water to boil? Great. Can you go for a walk around the block with the kids instead of zoning out in front of the TV? Awesome!

So I’ve got a challenge for you: Where will you fit 10 minutes of exercise into today? I’m aiming for baby nap time today! —Erin