If you’ve found yourself in an exercise slump, don’t worry you aren’t alone. We all have busy lives, vacations, injuries and a pile of other reasons that put our regular workout routines on the backburner. In fact, this happened to me a few weeks ago. I had finally run the half marathon I’d been training for all summer and woke up the next morning feeling almost every muscle, bone and ligament in my body while dousing myself in a lavender-scented Epsom salt bath. My inner voice said “I’ll just skip my workouts this week and get back to it next week”. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

The first few days were amazing. I slept in, wasn’t in pain, and I cut out an entire load of sweaty laundry from my Sunday afternoon. Two weeks passed quickly and I was determined to make a comeback for my third week. I started back into my routine only to find that my body felt weak, my cardio was strained and since I didn’t have a half marathon to train for I didn’t have anything to light a fire under me anymore. Overshare: My lowest point was my friend walking in on me laying on my yoga mat, watching Tony Horton yell at me to “go kayaking” in his insane ab-workout, while eating Trader Joe’s peanut butter flavored Greek yogurt in my underwear (very Dodgeball). The bottom line was: I needed to get back into the swing of things before all the work I had put it in really started to undo itself. So I called my friend (and newest member of the Luvo Influencer program) Dai Manuel for some tips to get me back in the game. Guess what? They totally kicked me in the butt and re-inspired me so I thought I would enlist him to help me share this killer plan to help you get out of the not-so-uncommon workout slump.

(Safety first: Be sure to consult your doctor before blast out any of these killer moves.)

#1 Ease back into it. Take the stairs, go for walks or cruise around the park on a bike. This will help prevent you from burning out and, most importantly, help you avoid injury.

#2 Stop weighing yourself and become more present with how exercise and food makes you feel. If you’re addicted to tracking your progress like me, use a good food tracking app  or go old school with a food and fitness journal.

#3 Enlist a friend to support you and help hold you accountable. If you’re a tech-lover like me, download an app with push-notifications to remind you about scheduled workouts and also encourage you to keep going. My current favorite is the Nike+ run app. When you share your run on Facebook, it encourages friends to “like” the post so it can (briefly) interrupt Beyoncé to send cheers through your earphones, giving you that “I’m about to close in on a gold-medal-Olympic” feeling.

#4 Don’t jump back into deadlifting the weight of a small car. Instead, try some easy body weight exercises that can be done anywhere and mixed in with your cardio routine. Here are some of Dai’s favorites:

Squats: Remember to keep your weight in your heels!

Lunges: Remember to keep your knee over top of your ankle! Use support if you feel a little unstable.

Burpees: “Remember these never ever get easier. If they get easier, you’re not doing enough” -Dai

#5 Leave yourself notes on the fridge, on your bathroom mirror and anywhere else that you need to. This helps me from doing things that contradict my health and fitness goals and also reinforces positive self-talk. Here are a few of my favorite:

– Remember why you started

– You’ll thank yourself in a month

– You’ve got this sista!

Find more here on our Pinterest board.

#6 Make a schedule and stick to it. Even if it’s just 30 minutes a day, like anything in life, do it with 100% effort and you will start to see and feel results faster than you think.

Bonus Tip: Don’t waste too much time being hard on yourself. This is a rabbit hole I caught myself in until I came to the conclusion that we all feel blah for different reasons. Be honest with yourself, listen to your body and commit to doing one thing everyday towards your goals! My favorite piece of advice from Dai is: Life is about living. Have a margarita on the beach, eat charcuterie three too many times, have the second pancake. Just remember your goals and choose your indulgences wisely.

What tip gets you from couch to curling? Share your suggestions here or on Twitter @Luvoinc.

Dai Manuel is a Dad, Husband, Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Professional Blogger, Social Media Strategist, Brand Architect, CrossFit Athlete & Coach, and soon to be published Author of the Whole Life Fitness Manifesto. He is the first member of our Luvo Influencer program, which celebrates leaders making a difference in their communities through unique and educational collaborations. Stay tuned for more!