I've Gotten In Shape Before. How Do I Get Back At It?

We all face detours in our fitness journey. Life happens - sometimes it starts with a busy week, then one week turns into two, and then, before we notice, we’re totally off track. 

Getting back into shape after a long break can feel overwhelming and that's why we’ve put together 6 tips to help you get back and stay on it!

Establish your baseline

Before starting it’s important to know where you’re at. This is going to help you to identify weaknesses and strengths. 

Start by evaluating your current fitness level, in terms of how you feel, look, and perform.

This evaluation is not meant to be judgemental, it’s about understanding where you are, so you can define your strategy. Here are some thing that may help you establishing your baseline:

1. Take your first pictures

When we’re not happy about the way we look, we tend to look away. 

These first pictures are the most important. They will help you access your current reality and serve as comparison throughout your process. 

2. Evaluate your body composition

This can be done in several ways, some simpler than others:

• Weight - just hop on the scale and register your weight
• Bioimpedance - some people have a bioimpedance scale at home, but if that’s not  your case, your local pharmacy may have. Bioimpedance will assess your weight, fat and muscle mass, and other factors depending on the device. It’s a great way to understand where you’re at (while these are not totally accurate for measuring your body fat, you can use them to measure a trend - such as a decrease in body fat over time)
• Anthropometric assessment (using calipers etc) - You’ll need to see a professional for this one. Anthropometry will give you the same metrics as bioimpedance but with greater feasibility
• DEXA Scan - The gold standard in body composition assessment. It’s a scan that uses X-ray to tell apart the different components of our body, such as body fat, muscle mass, bone density… It’s fast and non invasive, but can be more expensive than the previous options

3. Run a self analysis on your current commitment to fitness

How many times per week are you going to the gym? How many times are you going out of your plan per week? How many times do you eat out? Understanding this will help you set better goals in the next step.

Define realistic goals

“If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take, does it?” 

We have to give credit to the Cheshire cat, setting goals is one of the most important  parts of success.

Understanding and exploring your motivations to do this in the first place, will be an enormous help when a harder day comes by.

Whether it’s a target number of weekly workouts or the amount of water you drink daily, clear objectives help with direction. Just make sure they’re Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART).

Here’s a good example:

Instead of saying “I want to drink more water”, say “I want to drink at least 6 cups of water per day during the next month, because I know it will help me perform better in my workouts”. This goal is:

• Specific - You know what you want to do (drink more water)
• Measurable  - You know how much water you want to drink (6 cups)
• Achievable - It’s challenging but possible (6 cups a day may not be perfect, but it’s a good compromise if you drink only 2 or 3 for now)
• Relevant - It contributes to a greater objective (perform better in the workouts)
• Time-Bound - The goal has an end date (even though you should keep the habit after one month, giving it a deadline will help you stay motivated throughout the journey)

Setting goals is one of the most important parts of achieving them, so we’ve created an article dedicated just to that. Click here to learn more!

Make a Plan

You’re much more likely to reach your goals if you have a plan, and even more likely if it’s a really good plan.?

It’s all about adapting to your lifestyle and not the other way around.

Here are some examples:

• If you’re a morning person, choose a time before your job starts to work out
• If you know you don’t enjoy working out at a gym, get some equipment and start working out at home
• If you like to go out with your friends, make sure to include that in your plan, with appropriate adaptations (check our guide on this topic here)
• If you hate broccoli, then don’t include it in your plan

Remember: it’s all about being good consistently over a long period of time, not perfect for a few weeks and falling back to your old habits. 

Pay special attention to nutrition

Nutrition is crucial to achieving your goals, but going in too hard may damage your progress and your health. Here are some tips that will support your progress in the right way:

• Avoid skipping meals - this is a common tendency when dieting but eating several times a day will actually help you regulate your hunger and reduce the cravings 
• Do include carbohydrates in your diet – they’re your primary energy source. Eliminating or drastically reducing carbohydrates may cause you to lose some weight (mostly water) in the first days, but will damage your energy levels and spike up your sweet cravings. You can find healthy carbohydrates in whole grains like brown rice, oats and quinoa
• Maintain proper protein intake – Protein will not only help you build and repair muscles, as it will increase your metabolic rate (it takes up a lot of energy to be digested). You can find it in chicken, fish, eggs, legumes and soy
• Eat your fruits and vegetables – these are packed with fiber, minerals and vitamins
• Choose healthy fats – Consume moderate amounts of avocado, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish and seeds

Bonus tip: Preparing meals in advance is also a good strategy to help you save time and ensure you have nutritious meals, reducing the temptation of unhealthy choices.

Stay hydrated

Water supports essential body functions, and recovery, ensuring you perform at your best.

How much water should I consume per day?

• European guidelines advise 2L water for women and 2.5L water for men
• US guidelines advise 95 oz water for women and 130 oz water for men

Here are some tips to drink more water throughout the day:

• Keep your bottle close to you
• Set a timer on your phone to remind you to drink water
• Make tea or infusions to make it more pleasurable
• Attach it to a routine (e.g. every time you go to the bathroom, have a glass of water)
• Eat water rich foods (e.g. fruit like watermelon and peach, vegetables like lettuce and tomato…)

Prioritize sleep and recovery

Giving your body the time it needs to recover is fundamental to ensure you can keep performing at your best in the future. 

Make sure you have a healthy sleep routine and try to stick to it 90% of the time. 

On the recovery side, knowing how to read your body signs is equally important. It’s normal to have better and worse days, but pushing too far on the latter may lead to injuries and hinder your progress.

Final note

It’s OK to fall back sometimes. The great majority of people can’t stay in their peak shape throughout their whole life. Make sure to take it as it is - a phase.

Our advice is to monitor it - for example, setting a regular cadence to weigh yourself. As soon as you notice you’re getting off track, take a step back and go back to the basics: establish your baseline, set your goals and set a new plan. This will ensure that you don’t deviate too much - making it much easier to get back on track. 

Having someone to support you and hold you accountable when you fall off track is the easiest way to reduce the amount of times you have to start this process all over again, and keep you motivated in the long run. We’d be happy to be that someone for you. Let’s have a chat and get you back in the best shape of your life!