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If you’ve already fallen off your workout routine, you’re not alone—and it doesn’t mean you’re failing. January 9 is known as “Quitter’s Day,” the point when motivation dips and New Year’s resolutions start to feel overwhelming. Studies suggest that people who vow to pick up an exercise routine in the new year quit mid-month, and often even earlier than that.
Getting back to exercising after a break isn’t as simple as dusting off your sneakers and renewing your gym membership. Navigating how to start exercising again can feel overwhelming, especially in January, when fitness goals feel loud, intense, and like an all-or-nothing effort.
First things first: It’s okay that you paused your exercise routine in the first place. “Fitness journeys can start and stop and restart again,” Teddy Savage, CPT, a Baltimore-based national lead trainer for Planet Fitness, tells SELF. Life happens. Schedules change. Bodies change. That doesn’t erase your progress, it just means you’re at a new starting point.
Instead of beating yourself up because your three-times-a-week cardio habit fell by the wayside, celebrate the fact that you’re here, reading this, and thinking about moving your body again. That counts. In coaching, we call this a re-entry point—not a setback.
To help you navigate your return to fitness in a way that actually sticks past Quitter’s Day, we tapped exercise pros for advice on building a routine that’s safe, effective, and actually enjoyable. From setting realistic goals to reducing injury risk, here’s how to get back into a workout groove without burning yourself out by mid-January.
1. Make a plan—and start smaller than you think you should.
When you’re easing back into exercise, a simple plan helps you stay consistent without overdoing it. Without one, it’s tempting to jump straight back into your old routine or chase your former fitness benchmarks, says Kellen Scantlebury, DPT, CSCS, founder of Fit Club NY. But this may not be realistic or safe based on your current fitness level. If it’s been a while since you’ve been active, it’s a good idea to check in with your doctor before beginning a new program, just to make sure you’re all cleared to exercise, Katie Pierson, CPT, a Montana-based personal trainer and spinning instructor tells SELF.
Instead of mapping out the next six months, plan the next two to four weeks, Scantlebury suggests. In terms of frequency, aim for two workout days a week to start, Pierson adds. Spending more time in the gym isn’t better if it leads to burnout. “You can gradually increase that to three days a week,” Pierson says. “And if it makes sense with your schedule and goals, you can eventually work your way up to a couple more.”
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 SMART goals that are specific and 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.
“Don’t forget that working out is work”, Karena Wu, DPT, MC, CSCS, tells SELF. It takes a lot of time and energy, so you may feel more fatigued initially when you start exercising again. “If I’m so exhausted that I’m walking around like a zombie, I might opt for some more sleep on a particular day,” she adds.
Don’t be surprised if you feel like you need an earlier bedtime than usual. More sleep will ultimately help your body adapt to the new training you’re putting it through.
6. Warm up and cool down every time.
Skipping warm-ups is one of the most common exercise mistakes. “A lot of times, we’re so excited about getting back into our journey that we just want to hop straight into the workout,” Savage says. A proper warm-up will include dynamic stretching and movements designed to take your body through its full range of motion. Neglecting to warm up your muscles can increase your risk of injury and make your workout less effective. A quality post-workout cooldown will center on static stretches that can help alleviate feelings of tightness, says Savage.
7. Redefine what “counts” as exercise.
Fitness doesn’t have to look or feel like punishment. “Fitness is supposed to be fun,” Pierson says. “If you’re working out and you’re doing something you hate, you’re not gonna continue to do it.” If you keep doing workouts you hate, you won’t stick with it.
There are a lot of different types of exercise, including movement you may not necessarily think of as a workout—like dancing, roller skating, or playing with your kids, Savage says. “As long as you’re getting your body in motion, you’re positively influencing not only your physical health, but your mental health as well,” he explains. So instead of building a workout routine around what you think you should be doing, seek out forms of movement you actually enjoy. This will help bolster your workout motivation and ultimately up your chances of actually sticking to a new routine.
8. Listen to your body
Our bodies are constantly giving us signals and cues. Pain is information, not something to push through. The mantra, “No pain, no gain” is a fast way to get injured, Pierson says. If something is hurting or if your muscles are simply telling you they need to rest, heed that warning instead of pushing through the fatigue. “So if your body is telling you, ‘Hey, I can’t work this muscle today’—then don’t,” she says. “Work something else if you really want to work out—or do a lower intensity.” You should also feel free to take the day completely off without any guilt attached to the decision.
If something feels off, modify, rest, or switch gears. It all comes down to really tapping into your body and respecting what it’s communicating, so you can feel physically and mentally ready to stick with it for the long haul.
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Originally Appeared on Self