GETTING BACK INTO IT

Exercise patterning is not easy to come by. It happens when we are consistently active regardless of circumstances, when we get into a routine made up of things like walks, classes, swim sessions, Tai Chi practice, gym workouts. Developing the routine habit in the first place can be one of the hardest things ever. But if the routine gets interrupted, it is even harder to get it reestablished, whether interrupted because of illness or vacation or family events. It can be particularly difficult to regain ability after being ill. 

Helpful recommendations: Some relate to illness recovery. All come from personal experience.

  • Stretch: The most important thing to do after an activity break is to stretch. It is amazing how fast the body stiffens up. Age is a factor. The older you are the faster your muscles and joints tighten in response to a host of things including being inactive because of illness. 
  • The breath: With inactivity, the muscles supporting the breathing process tighten, especially with respiratory system illness. Start your workouts with breath exercise. Spend extra time in the beginning of your return to getting into that habit.
  • Fear: If fear, depression or anxiety are factors, the stiffness is even more profound since tightening is a direct response. Getting moving does more to release these feelings than anything else. There is nothing like taking a walk and getting a breath of fresh air when times are disturbing.
  • Stamina: When you start exercising again after an hiatus the first thing you will notice is that your stamina is shot. It is startling and depressing. Don't let it be. Stamina is easy to rebuild. Much easier than the first time around. But it doesn't feel like that. Ignore the feeling and keep at it. You will soon notice improvement.
  • Injury: One of the biggest pitfalls to regaining strength is the potential for injury, especially old chronic ones that you may have thought were "cured". When we start out again, sometimes we go at it just like we did before we got sick. That invites misuse of your body and re-injuring yourself. Areas particularly prone to this kind of problem are the feet, knees and spine. Take extra care of the areas of your body that are vulnerable. Warm them up more than normal. Warm them down too. And treat yourself to things like massages or chiropractic sessions.
  • Go slow: Be easy on yourself. Lower your expectations. Do not expect to be as good at exercise as you were before your routine was interrupted.​ Let go of what things used to be like and shift your attention instead to how you felt yesterday versus today.
  • Be adjustable: Some things you used to do may not be the right things to start out with when you get back into it. It may be that you need to be less aggressive or less rigorous. Or you might need to stay away from exercising a particular part of your body. Find out what type of exercise works for you while you are starting back up again.
  • Expect to feel lousy in the beginning: Loosening tight muscles and joints releases built up toxin into the blood stream to ultimately be flushed from the body naturally. After a day or two you will feel great. But in the mean time exercise can feel unpleasant. Persevere. It will change quickly.
  • Start with physical therapy: Exercises from these programs can be a wonderful foundation for restarting your exercise regimen. And they will protect you from re-injury.
  • Working injuries: Sometimes we cannot stop our activities when injured. Sometimes we have to work our way through them instead. This can happen after a break in routine. If something hurts you don't have to stop. Pull your belly in and continue. See if the pain doesn't disappear.
  • Keep a diary: You don't have to be elaborate but do keep track of what you did and how it made you feel.
  • Above all, be easy on yourself: Be your own best fan. Encourage yourself. Forgo the things that don't feel OK now. Give yourself a wide range of latitude. But don't shirk. Do your workouts to the best of your ability. Just don't be rude to yourself about it.

During whatever interruption you endure, try to keep gently moving. This is especially important if you are sick. Gently circle your hands and feet. Gently stretch your chest and circle your shoulders. Light movement enhances healing.

Allow your workout to adapt as you become more or less able, but don't give up consistency. Simply swap out some things for others.

Use coming back from an interruption to increase awareness:

Restarting is a fabulous time to become more aware of your body and to adjust your expectations because of it. First, let go of expectations. When you restart your exercise habit you are starting from a new place. It does little other than disturb you to think of how good you used to be. It is much more important to think of how you feel now. That information is incredibly useful in determining what you should do to be successful. 
You may find that when you restart your routine that your body knows more than you expected it to. Muscle memory lasts a considerable amount of time. What occurs quickly in the body during an interruption is not muscles forgetting. It is muscles tiring out because of loss of stamina.
Rebuild stamina consistently and slowly. Be aware of the effects exercising is having on your body. If you experience unpleasant feelings, consider breathing through them to see if they dissipate. The breath is your friend more than ever now. Use it to expand awareness.
Learn to recognize the signs of overuse or budding injury. Train yourself to stop before your body gets to that point. It doesn't matter what goals you attain. What matters is that you keep moving. Detecting early signs of potential injury or vulnerability will help you immensely in the long run.
Published January 9, 2023.