Really impressive, the difference really shows!
Can't offer motivation tips, but here's something on managing injury and pain: went through a bad accident three years back that left lasting damage to how I move and how much pain I carry, permanent, so it's something I navigate around every day. My job demands a lot physically, so I had to budget every scrap of movement just to earn a living, and worrying about pain kept me from stirring even when nothing required it, down to simply turning over in bed. So exercise for myself kept getting shoved to the side. Three years on, the pain's turning less constant and that dread is fading, so I only just picked exercise back up this past week.
My re-entry approach:
-Breaking workouts into five-minute stretches. Feels way less overwhelming, almost anyone can grind through five minutes. Doing three or four rounds a day, tacking on another five-minute block every couple weeks.
-Sticking to moves I can do lying down, resistance and toning through pulses and bodyweight. Really into old-school workout styles, borrowing or tweaking things pulled from vintage fitness books. One specific method stands out as a favorite, the one I leaned on to get in shape for a wedding after breaking my leg and needing crutches to stand (the book dates back to the 80s, though updated video versions are easy to find now). Also