7 day reset: Here are some easy ways to get your fitness back on track

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At the age of 39, my idea of fitness is very different from what it used to be in my 20s. But like most who work a full-time job - especially in this city, with its hours-long commutes - my fitness journey had reached stagnation. After months of trying to balance both but failing to stick to the workout regimen, I decided to just take a week off and only work on my health, both mental and physical.

Here is how I went about it.

It's a bird, it's a plane. No! It's a swinging kettlebell

One of my slipped discs is at the C5, which means that working out with heavy dumbbells has often done more harm than good for me. Instead, the kettlebell has allowed me to regain my strength over the past year - I went from 2 kg to 6 kg.

This time, I did four days of 15-minute kettlebell routines with 6 kg, and was able to amp it up to 8 kg on the last day.

TIP: Just stick to the farmer's walk if you don't want to do a full kettlebell routine, which is basically holding the kettle with one hand (like a water jar or grocery bag) and walking around the house for a minute or two, and then switching to the other hand.

A swim a day keeps the doctor away

In my late 20s and then my mid-30s I had two slipped discs that restricted the pace and intensity of workouts I could do. Gym workouts were out, so I turned to the pool instead, and it worked. Out of seven days, I swam on five. Until this week, I had been unable to go beyond seven laps (back and forth) of the 50-metre pool I go to. This time, on the fifth day, I finally broke through to double digits - 10 full laps, or 20 lengths.

Tip: Try to keep the number of laps the same but reduce the time in which you do those laps, eventually adding one extra lap to your swim if your body doesn't feel too exhausted.

One for the baddies

I grew up playing badminton for hours and hours like any kid in the '90s. In my fitness reset week, I only played once, after which my arm got sore. But I plan on rectifying that in the coming month and improving stamina endurance by playing more.

TIP: Wear the right shoes. Gel-soled shoes are a must on the hard court. Since I didn't have them, my feet and calves took an unnecessary beating.

Food

I didn't to anything too fancy for nutrition, but stuck to home-cooked meals. I kept dinners light, mixing it up different options like a fruit and some butter milk, or a smoothie and cucumber.