We get it – life gets busy. It starts innocently enough; you let missing one or two workouts slide, which quickly snowballs into skipping whole weeks or months of training. It happens to the best of us, so don’t beat yourself up.

1. Start with something easy

By now, just the idea of exercising again can be overwhelming.

To overcome that feeling, start your workouts with something easy, guaranteed to make you feel good and that you have enjoyed in the past. A good way to reintroduce the body to activity, frequency, and duration is with low-intensity workouts. After a week or two, you can up the ante.

2. Make a plan

Treat your training sessions as a calendar date and plan the days and times you are going to get to the gym. Plan the actual session you are going to do each day too.

3. Pack your gym bag and leave it by the front door

Having your bag packed and ready means that in the morning, you just need to get up and go! Likewise, if you train after work, having your bag packed and in the car takes away the risk of going and staying at home.

4. Set a goal

Fitness goals give purpose to your training, help to keep you on the right track, give you a reason to get to the gym and help you see your progress. Try to set a SMART goal – one that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

5.Buddy up

Training with a friend can be way more fun than training on your own.   It gives you a reason to show up to a session, and you’re likely to train harder too.

A few other tricks for getting back to the gym include signing up to a short challenge, engaging a personal trainer to get expert tips, motivation and tailored training programs for your goals or trying new classes so you can have a bit of fun with your exercise.