Getting back into it after a break

January brings a strange mix of enthusiasm and dread. Some people are ready to get straight back into a routine. Plenty are stuck in the lull after Christmas where putting trainers on feels like a lot.

If you have been ill, or worn out, or simply out of step for a few months, you are far from alone.

Start from where you are, not where you were

The most common mistake is trying to pick up where you left off. That is how people hurt themselves in week one and disappear again by week three.

A session at half your old intensity still counts. It gets you to the next one.

If you have been unwell, say so

Tell the coach before you start. Every exercise has a gentler version, and they would far rather know in advance than watch you struggle through something you should not be doing yet. Focus on moving well before moving hard.

Remember why you started

Was it your health, your energy, your head, or something more personal than any of those? It is worth writing down. People underestimate how much of coming back is deciding to, and reminding yourself of the reason usually does more than a new plan.

Think further ahead than the spring

Picture yourself in twenty or thirty years. What do you want to still be able to do? Walk properly, get up off the floor, keep up with grandchildren, carry your own shopping. Every session is a small deposit against that, and it compounds in a way a six-week challenge does not.

One session this week

Not a plan, not a target, one session. Getting out of the door is the hard part and everything after it is easier. The coaches and the rest of the group are there for exactly this, and most of them have done the same thing at some point.