So wanting to get back into exercise after a long hiatus? If so, these 5 tips will help make the process of transitioning back into exercise easier.  

1. Set a realistic and achievable goal

Firstly I would advise when making your comeback to exercise to work your way back up to a goal which you think is achievable. For example if your goal is to achieve 150 minutes of exercise per week (which is the minimum recommended amount for Australians) then also set a time to achieve this too such as over 3 months. Definitely don’t try and get back into the swing of things straight away as believe it or not you are increasing your chances at failing and also increasing risk of injury.  

2. Focus on performing the exercises correctly

Secondly, I would also advise taking the time to learn correctly any new strength/gym based exercises during this initial phase of your return to exercise. Why you ask? Because after a period of time off your body’s resilience to load (whether it be weights/running etc) has decreased. By performing an exercise correctly you can utilise biomechanics to your advantage(by performing an exercise in correct form)  to help reduce the total relative load put onto your body.  

3. Find your best time

Thirdly, don’t be too harsh on yourself if you find that some days you may not have the time or are too tired to exercise. During the initial phase of getting back into activity you will still be mastering the art of time management and also figuring out where you can make time for exercise and where you can’t. For this reason, don’t be discouraged. Continue to make a conscious effort and things will fall into place.  

4. Eat healthy and get enough sleep

Next, we need to make sure that our nutrition and sleep is adequate to help our body not only recover but have the energy to perform exercise. For these two reasons, try making sure you are consistently working on your sleep hygiene and making a conscious effort to either eat healthier/eat more or even using dietary supplements to fill in some weak spots of your diet (ie not eating enough protein).  

5. Look for a type of physical activity that you’re likely to enjoy

Finally and probably most important, find exercise or an activity which you actually enjoy. There’s no point in performing an exercise if you do not enjoy it. This will reduce chances of you actually sticking to it and making a habit. Along with this, how about exercise with some friends or even set mini rewards to give yourself along the way. There are many ways we can increase our consistency to exercise but most important would be to choose  exercise you enjoy!