Recently, I got some spare time on my hands, and as the hard-working Capricorn that I am, I couldn’t just sit still and binge-watch old shows all week long. So I decided that there was nothing better to do than to start exercising again. We can all agree that getting back into working out or starting to workout can be a challenge. It definitely was for me, but I knew that I had to power through it. However, I also knew that by the end of the month, once I get into the routine of things, my body would thank me for sticking through it all. Here are my stages of getting back into working out that I think a lot of us can relate to.
The insane amount of energy that you have when you first start to work out
You are on fire when you first hit the gym (or your local park for a jog). You wonder why you haven’t been doing this your whole life. Your body feels alive and ready to take on anything. Or so it seems in the first fifteen minutes.
When you have to push through the pain and exhaustion because you just can’t anymore
You are applying an insane amount of effort not to look bad compared to the gym veterans, but now you feel like your body is working against you. This was the reason that working out was not the number one priority on your to do list.
Then you get a second wind
Aaaand we’re back to feeling like exercising is not a big deal. I can handle this! Just caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and I don’t look so bad. You go, girl!
Once your workout is over it feels like you just ran a marathon
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You did it! You finished your first workout and you gave it your all. A bubble bath and a glass of wine sounds good right about now. A glass of wine always sounds!
Then comes the next morning when all your muscles are betraying you
Lying in a bucket of ice does not sound like a bad idea. Walking up the stairs, going down the stairs, or any slight movement is an inexplicable pain. Now you regret skipping those stretches that everyone tells you to do at the end of each workout.
When you look in the mirror and you don’t see rock hard abs and a bubble butt
All that effort, all that exercises and still nothing has changed. Even though we all realize how much actual commitment and effort goes into seeing any progress, we can’t help but be disappointed that we can’t have those immediate results.
A cheat day after the first workout seems inevitable
Why do you have to exercise and eat healthy to see any results? Why can’t one just be enough? Sometimes it’s too tempting to just give in and pretend that an extra five minutes on the treadmill is enough to sneak in that whole box of cookies.
The thought of quitting doesn’t sound like a bad idea once again
I like my body just the way it is. Who even needs exercise? So what that I’m out of breath when I take the stairs instead of the elevator to the third floor?
But you still go back to the gym the next day
Keep up the good work! They say once you do something for 21 days it becomes a habit, so just a couple weeks left to go. You can do it!
Feature image via Luis Quintero on Unsplash
