Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Guide on Getting Back Into Exercise While Avoiding Injury
Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Guide on Getting Back Into Exercise While Avoiding Injury
Did you know that only about 23 percent of Americans meet the CDC’s exercise guidelines? Are you part of this group? If not, have you been thinking about changing that by getting back into shape and starting to exercise regularly?
Go slow when restarting your exercise program after a long break. It’s important to ease your way back into a routine so you can stay safe and create a long-term, sustainable habit. Read on for some helpful tips on getting back into exercise while avoiding getting hurt.
Know Your Comfort Level
Whether you plan to exercise at home or want to go to a gym, it’s important to know your comfort level and be honest about what you can handle. It’s okay if you only feel up to working out for 10 minutes one day per week right now. That’s still better than zero workouts!
Keep in mind that it’s generally better to begin with less and increase the frequency and duration of your workouts over time. Most experts will agree that the best way to start exercising again – and to avoid getting hurt in the process – is to take the slow and steady approach.
Make Your Workouts All-Inclusive
When you start thinking about getting back to the gym, it’s common to feel confused about what type of workouts you should do. At the end of the day, any kind of movement beats no movement at all. To see the best results from your workouts, it’s ideal for them to include three components: strength training, cardiovascular training, and flexibility training.
Focus on Form
No matter what kind of exercise you’re doing, whether you’re swimming in a pool or lifting weights, make form your primary focus. When you’re returning to exercise after a long break, you might be a little rusty.
Don’t worry about how fast you’re going or how many calories you’re burning. Instead, make it a priority to do each movement with good form so that you avoid injuries and get the most out of each training session.
Don’t Forget to Rest
You might not have exercised regularly for a long time. That doesn’t mean you need to exercise seven days per week now, though.
Even if you’ve taken a lot of time off, your body still needs time to rest. Be sure to include regular rest days into your routine so that your muscles have time to recover and rebuild. This will help you to see results faster and will minimize your injury risk.
Are You Ready to Start Getting Back into Exercise?
Now that you know more about how to get back to exercising and how to do it safely, what are you waiting for? Keep the tips listed above on getting back into exercise in mind and you’ll be able to avoid injuries while also improving your health.
Do you need more guidance on how to stay injury-free? Do you have an old injury that still flares from time to time? If so, Orthopaedic Associates can help.
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule an appointment. From sports medicine and pain management to joint replacement, we do it all and can’t wait to assist you.