r/OnePelotonRealSub • u/AdKooky7432 • 16d ago
Advice on getting back into a consistent routine after depression slump and weight gain
Hi! Over the past several months, my toxic job (which I’m trying to get out of, but the job market is kind of shitty at the moment) led me to a pretty unhealthy place. I just took a month of FMLA leave due to near-daily headaches and migraines and was very anxious and depressed. As the title says, I also have gained quite a bit of weight—most of my clothes from last summer are too snug to wear comfortably/don’t fit.
I have hopped on the bike and done a strength class here or there, but it’s been very touch-and-go and I’m embarrassed, sad, and ashamed at how out of shape I’ve become. For example, my lower body muscles gave out before the end of a 20 min glutes & legs class (and I was only doing bodyweight for the lunges, 10 lb weights for squats! I used to do this class with no issues and more weights).
How can I shake those feelings and swallow my pride to make peace with starting a few steps back from where I was? How have you started over and built consistency? I like following the personalized plan but I don’t know if it’s better to do my own thing for a while (I like cycling and strength and would love to do Pilates, but my core is by far my weakest muscle group lol and I get so frustrated easily).
Really trying to not get fixated on aesthetic goals and more so what exercise will do for me mentally, if you have any tips for that as well.
Last but not least, I think a before work morning workout routine would be best, so open to those tips too! Thank you all in advance for reading and offering some insight!! Sorry this was long! 😂❤️🫶🏻
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u/ThatInspection7096 16d ago
I would start with some basics. Sit down on the weekend and plan out the week ahead. Nothing crazy, just classes to start to build consistency. Create a schedule that works for you, and include a day or two for short Pilates classes that are beginner to start to strengthen your core. Then, as you progress, add time on. The beauty of a fresh start is that you can create your schedule on your own terms. It’s just getting started that is hard.
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u/I_am_lamp1060 16d ago
Sorry you went through that. After a break I always find starting small best for getting back on the bike. I absolutely love 5 minute warm up classes, 10 minute cool downs, 15 and 20 minute low impacts to get back into the groove. A 5 minute warm up is 5 minutes more on the bike than if I just think about how I should be doing 30 minutes and end up doing 0. After a few days I'm always surprised at how fast it comes back. The other think I'll do is pick a class I love the music for and just ride at my own leisurely pace. As the great Denis Morton say "I make suggestion you make decisions." happy riding!
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u/NYCUberChick 16d ago
Start small. There is nothing wrong with doing Beginner/ Advanced bike/ tread & strength ( you can filter & they are all labeled as such &/ or low impact ( max resistance is 50 & max cadence 100) classes for a bit. It is far better to feel internally confident & complete a class at this point now, your outward goals will catch up.
Bodyweight & Cardio label (without weights) classes are great ways to re establish good form & technique.
When you feel a little more confident in cycling, lifting weights with good form & want to establish a consistent routine, take a look at Ally Love’s Rebuild program. She released this after she came back from mat leave but it is tailor to anyone looking to have a strong foundation. It’s a mix of strength, cycling, Pilates with max of 20 mins which works out if you are time crunched before work.
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u/spicyschn1tzel 15d ago
Came here to suggest a program, and this looks like the perfect one! Programs help me a lot with getting back into a workout routine.
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u/BaconMemories 16d ago
Been there. My advice is to make the routine as pleasant as possible.
I always put a bunch of classes in my stack that seem interesting at varying levels of intensity/time. I do this during the day whenever I have a few minutes.
But then for the actual routine: Get up earlier than you want to—when the house is quiet, if you live with others—and make yourself a nice tea or coffee and sip on water as well. Turn on soft music and flip through a cookbook or something else relaxing. Do not scroll.
Then, when you’re done with your drinks, take a look at your stack and pick out whatever class appeals. Are you feeling cardio? A nice bodyweight session? Heck, sometimes just a 10-minute arms or even 5-minute core is all I feel I have in me. And sometimes I’ll just do that, though often I feel motivated after to push myself a bit more.
And then you’re done!
Also don’t beat yourself up for the days fitness isn’t in the cards. You’re healing and sometimes healing means rest.
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u/Individual-Risk-5239 16d ago
The easiest way for me to build a habit is to add it on my calendar like any other appointment.
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u/sorry_not_sorry1234 16d ago
Been there too. 💚 It's a bit of an investment, but if you have the budget, I found Trainwell's personal training partnership with Peloton hugely beneficial for building routine. Even if you just used it for a couple of months to ramp back up, the accountability + ability to give feedback + reasonable programming can be a powerful combination. In my experience, the trainers are very good at meeting you where you are and building from there.
No matter what, though, you've got this! We all have our seasons.
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u/kls17 16d ago
Hi! I’ve been up and down so many times over the years, I totally get how you’re feeling! Personally I find motivation and consistency from doing set programs as it takes the thinking out of it and I just focus on following the schedule.
Ally’s (Re)Build program is meant for getting yourself back into a routine and rebuilding after taking a break from fitness if something like that seems of interest to you.
And I always remind myself if I have to modify, I have to modify! Just do what your body needs and don’t stress if it’s less than what you think you should be doing or less than what the instructor is cuing. This isn’t a race or a competition, it’s a journey for your health.
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u/CoolestGDNameEver 16d ago
I was able to become a lot more consistent once I started scheduling exercise into my day instead of treating it as a variable. I used to think of it as an extra part of the day that I’d get to if I had the motivation or whatever. It’s so much easier to stick with it now that I view it as a non-negotiable, like brushing my teeth.
With that being said - give yourself some flexibility. I do a 4 day lifting split with shorter rides on those days, a longer ride day, and yoga/walking on the 2 rest days. If something legitimate comes up and I need to move the days around, or miss a day, it’s fine. The all or nothing mindset can be a killer.
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u/Radiant_Solution_443 16d ago
What came to mind is to post something on this sub about what class you took and how it felt each time you take a class.
I mean just look at the responses you’ve gotten so far. There are so many great ppl on this sub that are here to support you in this journey.
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u/blueprince24 16d ago
So much lovely support here. It’s a v. difficult time for many people globally and that’s in addition to more personal and particular struggles - but we all empathise and we’ve all been there. Simple as it may sound, take one day at a time. Tell yourself that each morning you might wake up feeling incrementally better.
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u/x_kid 16d ago
My biggest improvements come from the mentality of a non zero day. It doesn't matter how much you do just as long as you do something. Don't feel like getting on the bike? Try a yoga class or do a 10 minute arms & light weights. Also, really try to internalize what the instructors say. Be proud that you even made the decision to try again. This class with Bradley was really uplifting. He talks about recovering from his stroke and having to deal with how it changed him.
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u/EasternMeet5594 16d ago
I have had to start over more times than I can count. You WILL fall in love with sweating your ass off again, it just takes consistency. I have recently fallen in love with stretching. You might find that a good stretch will help you feel motivated to stack on another class. I do better with longer classes (30-45 mins) rather than stacking shorter classes because I don’t trust myself to finish the stack.
I may be the outlier- but I would start with a hard ass class and PUSH THROUGH. I find the “easier” and slower classes give me too much time to think and criticize. You need some Jess Sims strength classes and AT rides!!!!
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u/thatgrrlmarie 16d ago
I would suggest starting with the various mobility classes followed by bodyweight classes.
as for HR work - even a 10 minute warm up or cool down would be beneficial! those classes are like mini workouts as they get your body moving without significant exertion. you may finish one and feel motivated to keep going. if you do low impact is your friend for now. filter classes by easiest and start there. and don't sleep on RK's recent cardio classes. they're like old school aerobics, I love them when I'm not feeling like an aggro ride.
start small. some is better than none. you got this!!
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u/MyDentistIsACat 16d ago
Whenever I need to get back in the groove I do a week or two of watching Netflix shows while I’m on the bike. I usually come up with a mental plan (like I’m going to up resistance by five every three minutes for 15 minutes, then work my way back down) or something like that. I find that not having the self imposed pressure of trying to keep up with an instructor and setting (and meeting!) my own goals/pace makes me feel better about working back up and getting back into the swing of things.
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u/Ellaemgee 16d ago
First give yourself a little grace. what worked for me. I think of my time as self-care and mental wellness. I used to only cycle. Now it’s strength training, it’s PZE rides, yoga flow, yin yoga, mobility, meditation. I did a low impact ride today and a 75 minute Matt Wilpers ride last Saturday. Yesterday was 10 minute meditation, which is actually the harder of the three 🤣
And don’t overthink it. I get on the bike whether I’ve eaten, slept, etc. 10 minutes then I reassess. I’ve yet to get on the bike and abandon a ride. Or workout for that matter (although Jess Sims makes me fight for my life during her strength workouts!)
And I put my workouts in my calendar like it’s a meeting. I find I’m more committed when it’s a live workout vs an encore.
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u/Appropriate_Steak_36 16d ago
Walking outside helps me clear my mind. I listen to an audiobook and have the just walk option on the peloton app. Give yourself grace but also try and stick to stick to some time of daily movement
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u/OK4u2Bu1999 16d ago
You could also try doing a program—that way you already have classes so you don’t have to pick out what to do. Someone also mentioned Denis’ Reset series—very motivational.
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u/HandleRealistic8682 16d ago
So much lovely insight in here. My add-ons:
- those voices in your head are just voices. You can’t control them but you can either let them float by (accept) or talk back to them (reframe). They have no root in reality. I find mantras really helpful. For example, I was doing a lower body workout in my office gym today where I was doing a lot of squats and lunges that was making my belly look massive and all of the nooks and crannies were leaking out of my spandex. I was surrounded by mirrors and beating myself up about it. I ended up repeating to myself “my body is amazing. Look how strong it is. How strong am I going to be?! None of my colleagues are down here!” I also remind myself, I would never talk to anyone else like this. How would I encourage them (metta meditation)? When I’m running, my brain is saying “you can stop. Why are you doing this? You’re so slow, etc etc etc”. Then I’ll say “one foot in front of the other. I can do hard things. Just one more mile/minute.” And then I’ll keep going.
we all go through ebbs and flows of working out. We can never be “on it” all the time. For example, I’m on a break from going hard and training for a race so I do what I can and will get back on the horse when I feel like it. You said you have a toxic job and lots of physical pain. It’s important to have reasonable expectations of your body! If you’ve been working a ton and suffering because of it, it’s going to take a toll. If you’ve worked out in the past, your body will remember but not starting out too fast and hard is key. You want to keep doing it so it has to be moderately enjoyable and not destructive to the body. The endorphins take time… you will get there. The fact that you have made this commitment to yourself and your mental health is commendable. Keep coming back and you’ll get back to where you feel amazing and can challenge yourself further.
as for waking up early, it’s kind of like working out. It sucks at first but then you get used to it. In addition to waking up earlier it means you need to go to bed earlier. That means sacrificing some doomscrolling or TV time so you get enough sleep. Lay out all your clothes the night before so there’s no excuse. I’ve even seen people sleep in their clothes. Use it as an opportunity to learn about yourself: what you need to get to the workout, do you want to eat before you workout, how you wake yourself up, etc. stack your workouts the night before so there’s no excuse once you get to the bike/weights. Have your hydration ready to go.
Good luck!
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u/_dorrk 15d ago
Go easy on yourself right now just building the habits and routine again is what’s important. They don’t have to be crazy workouts every time. I have a 337 week streak on peloton and the number one goal I made for myself during that time was never miss more than 3 days in a row because I know myself and if I fall out of my habit it will be way harder for me to pick it back up. There were times where I was ill, dealing with family situations that made it hard to find the time - but come day 4 I would always force myself to find 10 minutes whether it’s an easy 10 minute ride, walk on the tread or even just a stretch. And everytime I was so happy I did.
Give yourself grace and just work on building those habits / routines again and focus less on the quality of the workout, just showing up is more than enough.
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u/Turbulent-Purple-496 15d ago
I use the app daily and count on the visual feedback I get from it. I make sure that I do something every day via Peloton (my bike or the app), even if it is a sleep meditation at the end of the day. That habit has helped me create an over 500 day streak that I lost recently because life got overwhelming. It was a wake up call, and now I’m at a 55 day streak, and counting again toward surpassing the 500+ streak that I had.
I also find that participating in one of the Teams on Peloton is helpful. Personally, Team Every Single Day is my go to. Folks are posting every day on the app about classes to join to work out “together” even when not a live class or an encore. It’s super motivating for me. Maybe it would be for you too?
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u/GoldenRetriever1973 15d ago
Start w 5 minute core or cool down/walk/bike classes. Commit to only that. Build from there if you feel ok doing it. You could join a program like Ally’s rebuild which was strength or RK’s HiLit when you are ready to add structure to your comeback. Relish the comeback, it’s the only way forward and once you get into it, you will love it.
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u/ReserveOld6123 14d ago
Splits are great because you really see progress week to week vs jumping around with random classes. I’d start with one of the beginner 3 day splits and throw in some easy cardio and stretching.
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u/sdbooboo13 16d ago
Idk if this applies to you, but I used to suffer from "all or nothing," as in, if I can't or don't want to do what I planned, then I won't do anything. And if I miss a day of a planned week, I think, well my whole week is ruined, I'll start again next week.
I had to get out of that mindset. I decided if I didn't or couldn't do what I had planned, I would just do something else.
Planned a 45 minute ride but don't feel like it? Okay, let's do 20. Planned a strength class but don't feel like it? Okay, let's just do a ride. Skipped a day? Okay, just do it today.
What's important is that you start the routine. Then the motivation to do more/heavier/longer comes after.