There are many reasons why you may have taken a break from working out. It could be that your schedule has simply become too hectic, or that you haven’t had the space or freedom to exercise because of an injury or a global pandemic.
Whatever the reason, at some point you’re going to want to start exercising again. However, you can’t simply dive into the deep end. It’s important to follow these tips and avoid an injury.
Get Checked
If you are recovering from an injury then it’s a good idea to get an expert opinion before you start exercising again. It’s worth chatting with this reputable chiropractor Willetton and, if necessary, your own doctor. They can advise if you’re ready to start exercising again and give tips specific to any injury you’ve suffered.
It’s not just a good idea if you’ve had an injury, seeing the professionals can also help you avoid an injury if you haven’t exercised for a long time.
Start Light
Whether you’re intending on weight lifting or intense cardio, any break over two weeks will affect your strength, endurance, and even flexibility. To avoid injury you need to start light.
That means using light weights or keeping your running speed slow. The important thing at this stage is to get your body used to exercising again. You can then increase the weight or intensity of your workout. The speed at which you return to your old level of fitness will depend on how long the break-in exercise was.
Try To Include All Three Workouts
To build strength, endurance, and fitness as fast as possible you need to spend time focusing on cardio, flexibility, and strength training. Mixing up the routines helps to keep it interesting and challenging to your body. It will also give you balance which will allow you to progress faster.
Rest
The basic principle is to give your muscles 48 hours rest between sessions. You can still exercise every day, just make sure you are exercising different muscle groups. When you rest your body uses protein to repair damaged cells in your body, effectively making you stronger.
Alongside resting your muscle make sure you get between 6-8 hours of sleep a night, it will help to encourage your recovery.
Consistency Is Key
When you are just getting back into exercise you need to be consistent, this is the best way to get results and improve your fitness. In order to maintain your commitment to working out, it is essential that you choose exercises that you enjoy. This will make it much easier to keep doing them.
Stop If You Experience Pain
If you experience aches after exercise then you’ve probably pushed your muscles and this is a good thing. But, if you experience pain during or after a workout, you need to stop. It’s important to work out what is causing the pain before continuing. It may be an incorrectly performed exercise, an issue with an old injury, or that you’ve created a new injury.
Whatever the reason, pausing to evaluate will help you to take the appropriate measures and heal faster.
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