4 Easy Steps to Get Back on the Workout Wagon

Between vacations, injuries, work deadlines, and family obligations, it can be easy to fall off the exercise wagon.

One week suddenly becomes one month or even one year. But getting back into the swing of things doesn't have to be hard. Follow these four easy steps, and you’ll be back on track before another excuse can stop you.

Set yourself up for success.
Lofty goals like losing 15kgs can seem insurmountable. Instead, give yourself a goal that's so doable you can’t fail, says Dan John, a strength coach in Salt Lake City, Utah and author of Intervention. For instance, shoot for increasing your chin-up max by one rep or running a minute longer than you did the day before. You'll feel successful when you hit your objective, motivating you to keep increasing your goal by one more rep or one more minute.

Throughout the process, you'll hit larger goals—like losing 15kgs —as well. And people who make slow and steady progress when losing weight are more likely to keep the weight off, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

MORE: Harness the power of your mind to stay off the couch

Make mobility a priority.
Dial it back in the weight room during your first workout back in the gym. The reason: if you go all out with heavy weights, you'll be sore the following few days, deterring you from the gym once again, says BJ Gaddour, creator of Men's Health StreamFit. Kickstart your new routine by focusing on mobility instead. Not only will you feel better all over, but you'll have a better workout and be more likely to come back tomorrow.

1. Spend five to 10 minutes in a deep squat. You can do it all at once or break it up into two-minute sets, says Gaddour. The move activates the muscles in your lower body and mobilises your hips, groin, ankles, and knees. It improves your range of motion, which is essential for overall performance, he says.

2. Spend some quality time with a foam roller. Like a deep massage, rolling unties the knots in your muscles by breaking down adhesions and scar tissue that may have built up during your time off, says strength coach Mike Boyle, A.T.C., owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Woburn, Massachusetts, and founder of Men's Health Thrive. Plus, it prepares your muscles for the workout, and allows you to perform without injury.

GALLERY: Ten ways to stick to a workout

Eliminate all obstacles.
Don't jump head-first into a program that requires you to buy expensive new equipment or entails two-hour workouts, six days a week. “Consistency trumps intensity,” says Gaddour. "Even if you only have 10 minutes to spare, just show up and get moving." Those 10 minutes will keep you from falling off the workout wagon again, say British researchers, who found that skipping just one workout can increase your odds of missing another (and another, and another) by 61 per cent.

That doesn't mean you have to drive yourself to the gym for a 10-minute workout. All you need is two metres of floor space to break a good sweat. A body-weight routine can be done in your bedroom or your hotel room, rain or shine. Need a good one? Try out this total-body, three-day program to burn fat and build muscle

Corral a buddy.
When it comes to sticking with an exercise routine, showing up is half the battle. John knows that all too well. Living in Utah, there are many mornings when the temperatures drop below zero and he has no motivation to get out of bed to work out. That's why he has a group of friends show up at his house to work out five mornings a week. “I don't know of anything that makes me get going better,” he says.

And that's not just John's opinion. Science backs him up. A new study from Michigan State University found people held planks 33 seconds longer when exercising with a team than when holding the move alone. "Group training has such a big impact on your long-term success: it forces you to do things you probably wouldn't do alone, and you're better off for it," says John.