Are you looking forward to getting out of your house and getting back in shape? If you’ve been languishing in Netflix purgatory for months, baking towers of sourdough bread and snacking at will, you may find it a challenge to get back into something resembling a solid fitness routine. How can you get back on track with your health, without injuring yourself due to being out of shape?
Don’t expect overnight transformation
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your strong, healthy body. Expect a 2-4 month period of slow but steady improvement before you regain lost muscle and slim away extra fat deposits. You’ll need to regain your stamina, and strengthen your body without straining tendons and ligaments.
Vary your workout routines
Even if you have one sport or hobby you prefer, choose at least one more to make sure you tackle other muscle groups and avoid repetitive use injuries. Try golfing and training for a marathon, or adding Pilates while you return to working on your pitching arm. Get outside when possible and workout in the open air, whether it’s an early morning yoga group in the park or an evening run around your neighborhood.
Find an accountability partner
It’s a lot easier to get into a routine that challenges you without overdoing it if you have a workout buddy. Make plans for at least three meetups a week with a friend who is as enthused about getting healthy as you are.
Stretch, hydrate, and stretch some more
Avoiding injury means being kind to your body and remembering its new limitations after periods of inactivity. Give yourself plenty of breaks to replenish fluids and electrolytes. Be strict about your warm-up and cool-down process, and if you do suffer an injury, make sure to take appropriate care of yourself so you can heal instead of “pushing through the pain” and aggravating a sprain or strain.
Pay attention to nutrition
Working out will make you hungrier, so plan your post-exercise snacks in advance so you don’t grab the first thing you find when you come home. By making healthy food choices and keeping nutritious snacks within reach, you can feed your growing muscles and melt off the fat.
Want to make sure you’re physically fit enough to begin a new exercise regimen? Contact Syracuse Area Health – Strasburger Orthopaedics for a consultation today.