From Desk to Dumbbells: A Beginner's Guide to Fitness

Image

With the Summer Olympics in full swing, many will feel inspired to kickstart their fitness journey. Starting from a sedentary lifestyle can be daunting, but the key to success lies in listening to your body, pacing yourself and getting adequate rest. Risks will always exist when starting any new activity, but staying in tune with your body can help you stay out of the doctor’s office. To help you stay injury-free, Nathan Redington, PT, shares his top eight tips when starting a new workout plan.

8 tips to prevent sports injuries:

1. Assess your baseline comfort: If you have knee pain getting up from a chair, it’s probably not wise to grind through a 5K run with that same knee pain. Pain inhibits muscle recruitment; you won't reach peak strength when you’re in discomfort.
2. Plan out goals and work backward: Determine your fitness objectives. Are you focusing on exercising to reduce pain, build a community, manage stress, get stronger or improve your endurance?
3. Tailor your exercise routine: Align your workouts with your goals. Exercising to build strength requires a different strategy than training for a marathon.
4. Structure in adequate rest: Sleep seven to nine hours per night; a two-hour reduction in sleep equals 20% less strength available. Add adequate rest between exercise sets, such as two to three minutes for strength-building exercises.
5. Warm-up: A warm-up should improve the body’s sensation of comfort and the efficiency of the activity. Different people respond to different techniques; some love foam rolling, while others prefer stretching. After warming up, reassess if those aches and pains have lessened. Perform light movements like the task you will be doing; for example, if you are running 16 miles, start with a slower jog to loosen up.
6. Take breaks as needed: Always listen to your body when starting any new exercise. If you start feeling highly fatigued or exhausted, slow down and rest, then pick back up. When periods of exhaustion become more frequent, your body might be telling you it's time to stop. You can always stretch during rest periods.
7. Monitor workout volume: Almost all injuries occur due to too much intensity, for too long, and with not enough recovery. Gauge how you feel every three days. If the trend is consistently worsening, you might be on your way to an overuse injury.
8. Build a community: Most people do not enjoy exercising alone for prolonged periods. Find a friend, family member, training partner, or even a physical therapist to help keep you accountable and make the experience fun.

Don’t let persistent pain stop you from doing the activities you love. Overlake’s Sports Medicine and Spine program can help you recover, regain movement, reduce pain and get back to living an active lifestyle.