Don’t make this Killer Mistake when returning to training!
One of the hardest things is coming back to training after a long lay off. It is great you are coming back but the majority of people make this one Killer Mistake. If you make this mistake you are really setting yourself up for failure as you will be bound to fall off the bandwagon again. If you take this advice on however it can really set you up for long term success with your health.
So you are about to get back into training. At this point you are probably super motivated! You want to be fit and strong again YESTERDAY! So what do you do? Charge full steam ahead and make this BIG mistake! The mistake I’m talking about here is going from Zero to Hero! I liken this to signing up and trying to run a marathon with no running training at all. You wouldn’t do it. You would call someone stupid for doing it. So why are you trying to train hard so often when your base you’re working from is working, stressing, running around after kids and being sedentary?
The reason this approach of zero to hero is a mistake is for the following reasons:
- Your body is adapted to being sedentary so you actually don’t need a big stimulis to start changing your body positively. Do the minimum effective dosage and focus on recovery and overall health habits.
- Training hard 5-6 x per week is very taxing on the body and you set yourself up for the chance of injuries. Training 5-6x per week is great if your body is adapted to it but we recommend you build up and keep yourself in the game.
- Mentally you are setting yourself up to fail. If you had the goal of training 3 x per week and accomplished it you will feel great and be encouraged to keep going. If on the other hand, you are aiming for 6 x and you ‘only’ accomplish 3 x you will most likely beat yourself up and feel like you failed. This will make it much more likely that you will fall off the bandwagon of training and be stuck again.
A couple of solutions that we suggest our members start with to ensure consistency and longevity (the key to health).
- Start training 2-3 x per week strength
- Walk or do incidental exercise on the other days that are just part of your life (walk to the bus)
- Focus on sleep hygiene and one habit with your eating to improve it towards your ideal
Once these all become habits and you are successful at them (normally one month or more) look at the next step to keep working towards your ideal self.