Hi Everyone!!

[tjaded]

Im so glad to back with my Catheites!
I had a number of personal setbacks in my life and
needless to say fell completely off the bandwagon of
exercise & fitness. I am now trying to get back into shape
after a 2 month setback. Im so annoyed that I now need to build
my stamina back up again. My overall physique hasn't changed
much since I stopped exercising but my legs have suffered
from the setback and look not as awful as when I first started
but awful enough to make you want to scream.
How long does it take to build your stamina back up after such a long
layoff and has anyone experienced personal setbacks in their lives
which just zapped your mental capacity where you couldn't exercise?
If so, how did or didn't you manage to workout despite your mental distress. Im asking because life throws you expected fast balls from time to time and I would like to be able to continue my excersise
despite these setbacks. It's too costly to give in.
Please advise
Tjaded

 

[Stargazer]

Hi tjaded, Welcome back. I want to encourage you! I had some time off after surgery (6 weeks) and I was AMAZED by how fast I regained my previous fitness level. The muscle memory thing is really true. Honestly I was a good way back after just a couple of weeks and pretty much all the way back in less than a month. Be consistant and don't overdo it at first. Now about keeping at it when a setback occurs. For me, when this happened (not the surgery but personal life crisis) my workout schedule was the one constant thing in my life that I felt I could depend on! So I looked at the workout as my link with stability in my life. I also make an attempt to do workouts that I enjoyed. I do have to confess that my 'crisis' did not involve an impact on my time. I also stayed connected by reading posts here. Good luck. -joy

 

[cathe4me2]

Hi Tjaded,
I agree with Joy, it doesn't take long to get your strength back. I had to take several months off, for major surgery, only doing slow walking before. I think it was only about 2 months before I was at my previous cardio and weight lifting level. Being patient and just slowly increasing each time I worked out and I made it back. At the time, it seems like it takes so long. But when I look back in retrospect, it wasn't long at all. I wrote in a calendar what I would do each day. At first it was just walk down the hallway, in a few weeks it was WORKOUT time!
We sometimes tend to beat ourselves up too much. I do anyway. LOL

Hang in there. That is half the battle. As Cathe says..'Come on, you're gonna make it.