What's a realistic way to get back into exercise after a long break?

Hi Cory!

I was in a similar spot a couple years back, used to run regularly but life got busy and I stopped for over a year. What worked for me was starting super slow with a mix of cardio and strength to rebuild without stressing my joints. In your 25-minute window, I'd suggest beginning with 10 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk walk, then alternate with 5-minute jog intervals if that feels okay, aiming for a total of 20 minutes including warm-up. Follow that with 5 minutes of light free weights, like dumbbell squats or shoulder presses, keeping reps low at 8-10 to avoid burnout. The key is to focus on form to protect your knees, maybe keep the treadmill incline at zero to start.

As you progress, add a minute or two to the jog parts each week, or switch to the bike for variety if your knees act up. I found that incorporating short mobility sessions at night helped a ton, like 10 minutes of simple stretches focusing on hips and hamstrings before bed. For example, try child's pose or seated forward bends to loosen up after a day of sitting at work. This kept me from getting stiff and made mornings easier.

One pitfall I ran into was pushing too hard in the first week, which left me sore and unmotivated, so listen to your body and take a rest day if needed. In a small town like yours, I stuck to what was available and didn't wait for fancy gear, which helped build the habit steadily. After a month, I had more energy and it stuck without feeling like a chore.

Start with 10 minutes on the treadmill at a walking pace to warm up your body. Then do bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups for another 10 minutes and keeping sets low to avoid strain. Progress by adding a minute or two each week and include stretching at night for recovery.

I tried jumping back into running after my second kid and ended up with shin splints that sidelined me for weeks. Don't do that. Ease in with walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then add intervals of slow jogging.

Mix in free weights for strength, like dumbbell rows or lunges, but start light. I found that doing mobility stretches at night helped my knees a ton. After a month, I could handle more without burnout.

Pitfall: skipping rest days. I pushed too hard at first and felt exhausted with work and kids. Now I alternate days and feel steadier.

Same boat here, the calendar never eased up and everyone had advice that cost money or time I do not have. What worked was a boring five day loop with strict time caps. I rotated treadmill run walk, a dumbbell circuit, an easy bike, then run walk again, then the circuit. The run walk was a 5 minute warm up, then 8 to 10 cycles of 1 minute jog and 1 minute walk, and a short cool down. The circuit was goblet squats, one arm rows, a hip hinge, and a plank done steady for about 20 minutes with weights light enough that I could breathe through my nose. Everything stayed at an effort where I could still talk.

I progressed by adding 30 seconds to the jog intervals each week and stopping the minute my knees felt hot or form got sloppy. Biggest pitfall was rushing the jumps or stacking hard days back to back because someone canceled a meeting, which always backfired. A quick night routine of couch stretch, calf raises, and ankle circles kept my shins happy, plus swapping in the bike if sleep was trash. After four to six weeks I could jog 20 minutes easy and the habit stuck because it never blew up the evening chaos.

I get it, starting over sucks when life's already pulling you in every direction, and it's easy to feel like you'll never get that momentum back. With your setup, try 10 minutes on the bike to loosen up, then alternate treadmill walks with light weights for the rest of your time. But honestly, progress might be slow in a small town with limited gear, and you could hit plateaus fast.

I've been there, deconditioned after dorm life took over, and adding night stretches helped a bit with recovery, but don't expect miracles without better tools. Shipping delays killed my motivation once.

Pitfall I ran into was overdoing it early and getting discouraged when my knees ached, making me quit for another month. Pace yourself, but know burnout lurks if work amps up.

Idk, what got me rolling again was lowering the bar hard. I walked on the treadmill for 5 minutes, then did tiny jogs like 90 seconds on and 90 seconds off until I hit 20 minutes, then cooled down. Pace stayed easy enough that I could read a short email without stumbling. Two other mornings I did a simple dumbbell flow for the whole body, nothing to failure, just steady reps and breathing. If my knees felt crunchy I swapped the jog day for 20 minutes on the bike.

Each week I added a minute or two of total jogging and kept the walk breaks until the treadmill felt boring. Night stuff was five quiet minutes on the floor with a couch stretch and ankle rocks, and some glute bridges while the show credits rolled. Biggest trap was chasing old paces or cranking the incline because I wanted to feel something, which only made the next day worse. The trick that kept me consistent was stopping with gas in the tank so I actually wanted to come back tomorrow.

Idk man, I was out for like six months and just started with the bike for 20 minutes easy pedaling. Built up by adding resistance slowly. Threw in some planks and stuff with the weights.

Worked for me without messing up my joints. At night I'd do some yoga from a free app for recovery. Took a couple weeks to feel normal again.

Biggest pitfall was expecting quick results and but sticking to it gave me that energy boost eventually.

Keep it stupid simple. Three mornings do 5 minutes brisk walk, 1 minute jog 1 minute walk for 16 to 18 minutes, 2 minute cool down. The other two mornings, rotate a light dumbbell circuit of goblet squats, rows, hinges and a plank for about 20 minutes, or easy bike if knees gripe. At night add 5 minutes to loosen calves, hips, and ankles, then each week add 30 seconds to the jogs while keeping them conversational.