It’s normal to fall off of the exercise wagon. Even the most dedicated fitness enthusiast has a week or two when they decide not to exercise. Whether they’re too busy or don’t feel like it, they simply stop their fitness regimen and take a break.
But once this happens, how long does it take to get back into shape? The answer to this question depends on a number of different factors. But at MyFitFoods, we believe in getting you answers. So, let’s explore this topic together.
Getting Out of Shape
Although researchers seem to be a bit conflicted about exactly how long it takes to get out of shape, one thing is for sure: you can easily backtrack on any goals that you’ve met. Some say it can take a mere two weeks, while others claim that after four months, you end up back in your original pre-workout shape.
If you fell off of the fitness wagon, don’t feel bad. It happens to even the best of us, so you’re not alone if you choose to take a one or two-week break. What really matters is how hard you work to get back into shape after not exercising for a while.
So, How Long Does It Take To Get Back in Shape?
Once you fall out of shape (and really, the time that it takes depends on how fit you were to begin with), how long does it take to get those muscles back? And what about your stamina?
Those training programs that claim you can get fit again within six weeks or less aren’t exactly true. If you’re already in a decent sort of shape, sure, you can improve your personal records and maybe get ready to slowly jog a 5K by then. However, it will take much longer if you’ve been sedentary for quite some time.
Don’t let this dissuade you, though. Sure, no one likes to hear that they won’t immediately become fit again after jumping on that treadmill. In reality, it takes around three to four months for the average person who spent some time being sedentary to get back in shape. You’ll need to be patient, stay consistent, and set realistic goals to push yourself.
How To Get Back Into Shape
Now that you know how long it took you to fall out of shape and have a general ballpark figure for how long until you’re back in some sort of shape, it’s time to start up that treadmill again or hit the gym. But before you do, here are some tips to get you started.
Forgive Yourself for Your Failures
Why did you stop working out? It probably started with one day where you just didn’t feel like it, and then it escalated into waiting until the beginning of the next week before exercising again. At that point, you found another reason to not work out.
This continued until you realized that it’s been about a month or two since you’ve gone to the gym, and well, at that point, it seemed too hard to start up a routine again. Of course, this is just one example.
No matter why you chose to alter your workout routine or make it nonexistent, you need to forgive yourself. It’s too easy to blame yourself for falling out of shape, and this blame makes it tougher to get out there and exercise again. So, forgive yourself and get ready to put all of this behind you.
Figure Out What Went Wrong
However, before you permanently put it behind you, it’s time to determine what went wrong with your first workout regimen. Why did you stopexercising? For example:
- You Didn’t Have Clear Goals – Before you started exercising, did you set your goals as something very vague? Saying “I need to work out more,” or “I need to start watching what I eat” aren’t really goals. If you didn’t clearly define what you want to accomplish, then it’s no wonder that you stopped your entire routine.
- You Tried To Do Too Much at Once – It’s tough when you choose to make a whole lot of changes at once. For example, limiting yourself to 1,200 calories a day while making a pledge to get up every morning at 4 am and spend two hours on the treadmill or in the gym is a lot when, the day before, you only walked around the block once.
By making too many life changes at the same time, it’s nearly impossible to make them all stick. - Your Goals Were Unobtainable – Did you want to be able to run a marathon a month after giving up your sedentary lifestyle? Were you trying to shoehorn in a three-hour daily workout at the gym when you work 10 hours a day?
Sometimes your goals themselves are the reason you gave up on exercising. If they were too much too soon, or simply something that you just didn’t have time for, you more than likely just said “forget it” and stopped going to the gym.
The reason you stopped working out is important so that you can learn from your mistakes. You need to start all over again in order to get into shape, and discovering what the initial problem was remains the best solution.
Go Slow
When it comes to setting goals, go slowly. If you try to go from zero to 60, you won’t be able to keep up, will get disappointed, and then will fall off the workout wagon once again. Instead, start by:
- Exercising in Small Amounts – It’s better for people who’ve been sedentary for a while to start exercising in small increments. For example, try to take a brisk walk, spend 15 minutes on the exercise bike, or something that gets you moving and your heart rate up twice a day. From there, as you get used to exercising, you can build up to longer workouts.
- Cut Back on the Calories – If your health regimen includes dieting, then start by cutting out a mid-afternoon snack or a second bottle of soda. Rather than go entirely “no more sugar ever!” which is hard to stick to, make small efforts. Start with ahealthy breakfast and then every week, cut back a bit more on the sugary treats.
As you get used to both dieting and exercising, you can start to pick up the pace a bit. This, plus getting into a new routine, will help get you back on track and keep you there.
Turn Your Habits Into a Routine
Once you’ve set a few small goals, it’s time to start that routine. They say that it takes two weeks for something to become a habit, and an additional two weeks after that for it to become routine and automatic. This means that while you may find that you need to set alarms reminding you to exercise for the first few weeks, eventually, you’ll automatically remember what to do and when to do it.
The same is true if you plan to eat a healthier diet. Once you go a few weeks without those additional snacks, you’ll find that you don’t crave them anymore. When this happens, you know that it’s time to trim back your diet a little bit more, until you cut out all of the sugary and salty snacks that you previously consumed.
Be Realistic About Your Results
On top of getting into a routine with your workouts and dieting, you also need to be realistic about your results. What does this mean? Well, you won’t lose 10 pounds overnight. And if you did, you’d have to go to the doctor because that isn’t healthy.
Rather than focusing on how much you’re losing, pay attention to how much better you feel and take a look at what yourmuscles are doing. Realize that the numbers on the scale aren’t what really matters — that will help you stay on track because you shouldn’t expect crazy-good results in a short period of time.
Additional Tips for Getting Back Into Shape
As you can see, it takes between two weeks and four months in order to lose any gains that you’ve made after you start working out. It all depends on how fit you were to begin with. In addition, it takes about that long to get your new, healthier habits on track. Once you do, you’ll start to see those results and will be officially back on the fitness wagon. And as you know, there’s no better feeling!
If you have any questions on how to jumpstart your fitness routine again, pleasecontact us!
Sources:
Struggling to Get Back into a Workout Routine? These 5 Strategies Could Help | Time
How Long Does It Take to Get in Shape? | Healthline
9 Simple Ways To Start Exercising Again After A Break | Women's Running
About Author: Mario Mendias
