One of the biggest frustrations facing those who have taken a break from their workouts is the loss of strength and endurance. Listening to your body when starting back into your workout routine is of utmost importance. Many people want to start back where they were rather than where they are now. There are some important clues that you should pay attention to including:

- Weakness or fatigue in your muscles or any part of your body when engaged in resistance training is a key that you should take it easy.

- Your energy level should increase as you move into your workout from your warm up. If your energy level is decreasing rather than increasing, that could be a sign that you need to take it easy and ease back into that level of exertion.

- Your heart rate is another great indicator of how your body is responding to the level of exertion. If it is elevated beyond what is normal, you are overtraining or fatigued and should back off.

- If you hit the wall or seem to lose all power, your body is telling you it is not ready for the intensity you are trying to achieve. Again, take some time to ease back to the level of intensity you were working at prior to your break.

Listening to your body is essential. You must admit to yourself that you have lost some endurance and strength during your break. Once you admit that, you will be in a much better position to get back to your workouts at your current level of fitness and start making some progress. Trying to start back in at your previous level of fitness will do nothing but frustrate you and possibly result in an injury.

In order to get the most out of your workouts, you need proper fuel. Many people allow themselves "treats" that they normally wouldn't have at the same time they take a break from workouts. Eating high fat foods and sweets causes the body to crave more of them. When fueling your body with foods that are high in vitamins and nutrients that are required for optimum performance, you feel better and have more energy to get the most out of your workouts.

It may require time to get back into your healthy eating patterns as well. Don't beat yourself up if you slip up and indulge. Studies show that it takes two to three weeks to form a habit. Allow yourself the time to form those habits again. Take notice of how much better you feel and how much easier your workouts feel when you are fueled with the proper foods.

The biggest key to success is to be patient and allow yourself the time to form good habits and get back into your routine. Take stock of where you are, what your current fitness level is and start there. With consistency, you will be back to your top notch fitness level in no time!