Once your plan makes sense on paper, put it on your calendar. Treating workouts like real appointments (not optional tasks) can make you less likely to cancel on yourself.
2. Set doable goals and celebrate your progress
Setting goals can be a great first step when deciding to exercise again, but only when they’re realistic. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people setting goals that don’t align with their current fitness level.
Test your current baseline first, Scantlebury says. That might mean seeing how long you can hold a plank, or seeing how quickly you can bike a mile. Use that information to set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (SMART) goals that are attainable now.
Savage recommends celebrating small wins along the way: showing up twice in a week, wearing shoes that feel good, or leaving a workout with energy instead of exhaustion. Progress isn’t just physical, it’s behavioral.
And remember: Fitness is not linear. “Allow yourself grace and know that not every day is going to be as good as the day before,” Savage says.
3. Start with foundational bodyweight moves before adding load.
Strength training is powerful, but jumping straight into heavy weights or high-intensity workouts can increase injury risk after a break. Start with bodyweight movements to retrain your mechanics, Savage says.
“Bodyweight exercises are super important to train your body how to move through the mechanics of the exercise safely and with the optimum amount of range of motion.”
Focus on form over your number of reps. As a trainer, I’d rather see fewer high-quality reps than volume that doesn’t serve your body. When you do add load, Scantlebury suggests lighter weights and higher reps to rebuild endurance before strength.
4. Schedule rest like it’s part of the program—because it is.
Rest isn’t a reward for working out—it’s part of the work. Training too often without recovery is a fast track to burnout and injury.
So when you’re beginning a fitness routine again, plan at least one rest day between workouts when you’re restarting, Savage says. Consider doing active recovery like walking, stretching, or gentle yoga. These movements can help reduce soreness and keep you moving without overloading your body. And if you’re feeling sore after your workouts or experiencing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), incorporating this kind of gentle exercise can help boost blood flow to reduce the pain.
5. Prioritize sleep as seriously as your workouts.
As you ramp up your fitness routine, make sure you’re taking care of your body in other ways too. Your body adapts to exercise when you rest, not when you train. That means sleep matters, especially early on, when fatigue can spike.
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