After taking a break from exercise, many people find it difficult to restart their routines. Dominisha Felder, a physical therapist at Houston Methodist, shared guidance on how individuals can resume exercising and create sustainable habits.
Felder emphasizes the importance of setting realistic and achievable goals before beginning any new workout regimen. “Setting realistic and achievable goals is the absolute first step,” Felder says. “We all come from different backgrounds, and we all want different things from exercise. Knowing what you want and establishing concrete, realistic and achievable goals are important because it helps guide the rest of the journey.”
She distinguishes between outcome goals—such as building strength or increasing energy—and process goals, which focus on specific actions like committing to short walks several times a week. Felder recommends starting with process-driven goals: “Starting with process-driven goals is better for us, so we can appreciate and build up little wins,” she says. “They allow our bodies to adapt, which further helps us prevent injury and make more sustainable goals.” She advises starting slowly to build stamina and avoid overexertion: “Starting slowly helps you build stamina, fitness level and tolerance,” Felder says. “It also helps you progress. We don’t want to push ourselves too soon, which can lead to a lack of performance or impede progression overall.”
For those returning after pregnancy, injury, or with health conditions, Felder recommends consulting a healthcare provider before resuming activity: “Consult a health care provider to make sure you’re safe and understand your bounds and limitations,” she says. “A prescreening can help you understand where your limitations are so that you can appropriately guide yourself safely.”
Muscle soreness is common when restarting exercise but should be monitored closely. “Muscle soreness after exercise is rather normal, especially if you haven’t been doing it in a while,” Felder explains. “But if you’re feeling sharp pains or having pain that doesn’t get better with rest or it’s consistently bugging you — that’s when you need to get care and evaluate your exercise plan.”
Felder also highlights the value of warmups and cooldowns in preventing injury: “Warmups allow us to prime our muscles and joints to tolerate the load of exercise,” she says. “The cooldown phase is very important to allow your body to adequately recover from the stress you’re putting on it.” She adds that muscle recovery happens during rest periods: “Rest is a crucial component, and I think the importance can’t be overstated,” Felder says. “When we exercise, we create microscopic stress and tears in the muscles and joints. Rest allows our body to heal, repair, and build up our tolerance and ability to improve our performance.” She warns against skipping rest days: “Rest helps us stick with exercise in the long-term and to not burn ourselves out,” Felder says. “Understanding how rest helps you build better strength and fitness can help us to innately stay motivated, so we’re able to appreciate those rest days and what they enable us to do.”
Addressing common barriers such as lack of time or discomfort in gym settings, Felder suggests finding small pockets of time for movement throughout the day or using free resources like YouTube classes or community centers for workouts at no cost.
“Looking for smaller pockets of time throughout the day is more attainable,” Felder says. “Stand up and do ten squats, stretch on your lunch break, get up every 30 minutes and walk. Those smaller efforts help you feel like you can achieve your goals versus needing a full hour.” For those intimidated by equipment or unsure where to start: “I think not feeling comfortable with the equipment is a very valid concern, but there are resources there,” she notes.
Felder encourages people who feel self-conscious about exercising publicly by reminding them that everyone starts somewhere: “Everybody’s starting somewhere,” she reminds.
She also points out that activities outside traditional gyms count toward fitness—yard work or active chores contribute meaningfully toward weekly activity recommendations.
When motivation wanes—which is common—Felder stresses discipline over waiting for inspiration: “We’re not always going to feel motivated, so there’s an aspect of discipline we need,” she states.
Celebrating small achievements forms part of this approach: “Celebrate the little wins: ‘You’re here, check.’ ‘You went for a 15‑minute walk, check.’ ‘You did some squats on a work break, check.’ Those are successes,” according to Felder.
Ultimately, returning to regular activity after any length of absence should be viewed as an ongoing process rather than punishment for time off. Mindset plays an essential role in sustaining healthy habits over time.
“Being there for yourself motivating yourself by staying disciplined saying positive affirmations is imperative,” Felder concludes. “It’s a journey.”
