From Burnout to Breakthrough: Your 30-Minute Fitness Comeback Plan
If you used to be fitter, bursting at the joints with energy and the body to match but have fallen off, you’re not alone. 70% of professionals who previously exercised regularly report no longer having time for workouts. 50% say their increased work responsibilities directly led to stopping their training programs. 48% of those who quit training have gained significant weight (10+ pounds) within 6 months. Do you fall into any of these statistics? If you’re wondering how to start training again and feel overwhelmed about where to even begin, well, that’s totally valid. Let’s see if we can get you training again, which would be the first step in getting those glory days back. It probably isn’t as challenging as it seems from the outside looking in.
It has layers. From building a training program, to (the importance of) setting realistic fitness goals, to fueling your body to getting consistent good sleep —here’s the intel you need to get back on track and settle into a good, sustainable workout groove. Regardless of your current fitness level or the amount of time you’ve been out of the game, here is your go-to guide for how to start training again. Let’s get sweating, shall we?
Start with a periodization training program, and start small…
If you’re just easing back into exercise, having a training program that is designed specifically for you will help you stay consistent without overdoing it. A periodization training program will give you the most (sustainable) results in the least amount of time – you should see and feel significant progress in 30-45 minutes a day. Periodization training is best for preventing fatigue, burnout, overtraining and training plateaus. It also produces consistent progress because it moves through different phases with different targeted outcomes…which will keep you motivated. The best part of periodization training is that it fits every fitness level, every training status, and is designed to start right where you are today. Start with 30 minutes 2-3 times a week and pencil it into your schedule – make those time slots and the commitment non-negotiable. 5 or 6 days in the gym is not necessary to see progress.
Once you’ve dialed in your plan, plug it into your calendar. Having it set as a concrete part of your day can make you less likely to cancel on yourself.
Get your nutrition dialed in…
Some things never change, as cliché as they may be. One of those things is “you can’t outrun a bad diet!” Trying to improve your fitness without making nutritional changes is like driving with your right foot on the gas pedal and your left foot on the brakes. You’ve probably heard of MyFitnessPal. It’s a great place to start. An account is free (they do offer a premium subscription) and will more than likely be all you need. Track everything you eat / drink for a solid week. With the features in the MFP software, you will learn everything you need to know to start getting your nutrition dialed in. If you were to hire a registered dietician, the first thing they will have you do is track your current nutrition for a week and then submit it ASAP. It’s free and would only take a few minutes to set up your account.
Stress management…
Stress negatively affects your nutrition and weight loss efforts, your training, performance and muscle growth, your mental health, your physical health, it disrupts your body’s metabolic processes, slows down your recovery, and negatively impacts your sleep…all just on the surface. We could easily write another blog post on each of these just by going a little bit deeper. Chronic stress causes excessive cortisol production. Elevated cortisol levels leads to fat accumulation around the midsection (making it harder to lose belly fat, even when you’re eating healthy), damages the part of the brain responsible for memory, learning, focus and decision-making, reduces your body’s ability to cope with stress, triggers catabolism (the breakdown of muscle tissue for energy), lowers testosterone and growth hormone – both of which we will always not have enough of, slows down your body’s ability to adapt to a training stimulus, slows down your recovery from training, and affects every area of your sleep. If you don’t make managing stress one of your pillars, you’ll always be fighting an uphill battle…by default. Start sprinkling moments of stress relief and stress management throughout your day and you’ll be good!
Prioritize sleep…
As you ramp up your fitness program, make sure you’re taking care of your body in other ways too. It’s a balanced approach. It’s not just physical fitness. In addition to your training/recovery, nutrition & hydration, and stress management, sleep is another big factor worth prioritizing.
We could easily go into a dissertation about sleep, but at this point you have to know that sleep deprivation also, like stress – literally negatively affects everything in your life.
And – set realistic goals and celebrate small wins
Setting goals is a great first step when navigating starting to train again, but the key is to ensure that they’re realistic. Attainable goals provide confidence-boosting wins which become motivation! While it’s not necessary, testing your current level of fitness before penciling in some goals can be very helpful. You’ll have an accurate picture of where you’re starting from now. You can safely and accurately complete a complete fitness assessment right where you are with very little equipment in an hour.
When setting your goals, consider your time constraints. I have 2 clients that I train twice a week for 45 minutes and another that I train twice a week for 30 minutes…all attainable relative to their schedules and what is realistic for them. Every one of those workouts (plus the work they do outside of our workouts) is a small win. Every good nutrition decision made is a small win. Every time you mix in a cool-down stretch for 3 minutes at the end of your workout…small win. Every 10-minute walk – small win. And we celebrate them. Every great accomplishment is a series of countless small wins!
So, what's the plan? Keep waiting for the "perfect time" that never comes, or will you reclaim your energy and control over your body today? The choice is simple: you either stay stuck, letting life pass you by, or you take action and start stacking those small wins. Your fitness journey isn’t going to fix itself, but you have everything you need to get back on track. No more excuses. Let’s chisel!