Thirty minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise is recommended for optimal well-being. Dedicating this much time to working out reduces your chances of developing chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. A well-rounded exercise program involves aerobic, resistance, balance, core, and stretching training. It works all the muscles in your body, benefitting your overall health in multiple ways.
However, jumping into an exercise program and attempting to do too much at once will have the opposite effect. In other words, it will damage or injure your body instead of enhancing your health.
In this post, we will give you all the reasons as well as ways to ease into an exercise routine so you can get the most out of it.
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Easing into a New Exercise Program: How Can It Help You?
Rushing into an exercise program is not only harmful to your body, but it is also mentally discouraging. When you try to do too much at the beginning, your body is likely to injure itself. At the same time, you also become less motivated to stick to the regimen. Here’s why you should ease into a new training routine.
Injury Prevention
When you begin an exercise program, your body isn’t used to the movements. Your muscles haven’t been worked out in this manner before. Rushing into the training doing intense movements can cause sprains, strains, and stress fractures. This can be counterproductive to your goal of beginning the program and achieving the results you want.
Minimising Muscle Soreness
Muscle soreness is expected after beginning a new exercise routine. However, when you ease into the training, the soreness experienced is much less compared to what you would get if you rushed into it. The latter will cause excessive pain, preventing you from performing the movements properly in the succeeding workout sessions.
Prevents Mental Demotivation
Jumping into a new routine increases your chances of injuries. This can be mentally demotivating. When you are injured, you don’t feel like going to the gym. It hinders you from achieving the fitness goals you’ve set for yourself. On the other hand, if you ease into the routine, you remain more motivated as you witness your progress. Your body builds strength and endurance, allowing you to achieve your exercise goals. This increases your confidence and lets you stay committed to your training regimen.
Prevents Fitness Burnout
Jumping into an exercise program and doing too much can lead to overtraining. Some signs include not sleeping well, loose bowels, and feeling tired most of the time. Another name for this is fitness burnout. It leaves you feeling drained and also increases the risk of injury or illness. A fitness burnout prevents you from making exercise a part of your routine. When you don’t exercise consistently, you don’t achieve the outcome that you desire.
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6 Ways to Ease Into New Training Program
Starting a new exercise program and sticking to it is one of the best things you can do for your health. Use these tips to begin a training regimen safely and effectively.
1. Consult Your Doctor
This is something that most people ignore while beginning their training. It is especially important for those with underlying health conditions to consult their doctor before beginning any exercise routine. Your healthcare professional will tell you of any limitations and how to best adjust your program around them. It will enable you to engage in exercises that are safe for your body and health.
2. Set Smaller Goals
Being able to increase the time and intensity of your workout over time is a definitive indicator of progress. This cannot happen if you rush into an exercise program. The best way to achieve this progress is by setting smaller fitness goals.
You can set such goals by looking at your current stats. For example, find out how long it takes to jog a mile. Note it down. Refer to it in the succeeding weeks after easing into your workout routine. You will surely see an improvement.
3. Begin With Low Impact Exercises
Low-impact exercises like walking and cycling are easier on the joints. They effectively prepare your body to transition into more vigorous workouts. Walking is, in fact, one of the best ways to ease back into your fitness regimen. Doctors advise that if you are not sure where to start, just start with 15 to 20 minutes of brisk walking daily. This alone is enough to reduce your risk of chronic health conditions.
4. Stretch, Rest, and Recover
Stretching makes your body flexible, which is essential to performing movements with a fuller range of motion. If you are getting back into a new routine after some time, your muscles may be stiff. Incorporating stretching before and after your workout will help keep your muscles lean. It ensures that they are able to withstand the weight you put on them as you increase your workout’s intensity over time.
Also, don’t forget to include rest days, even as you are easing into your routine. Getting adequate sleep is one of the best ways to recover from exercise-induced damage to the muscles. Prioritize at least 7 hours of sleep daily. If you want, you can make your rest days active by doing light-intensity exercises like walking and jogging. However, this is not recommended for those in their first few weeks of training.
5. Hydrate With Healthy Fluids
Hydrating the body with water or electrolyte drinks is essential for recovery. Healthcare professionals recommend 2.7 liters of water for women and 3.7 liters for men. Remember that you also get water from food. However, it is important to drink at least 2.1 liters in addition to that for proper hydration. Men who work out regularly should get 2.9 liters of additional water.
6. Consume a High-Protein Diet
Now that exercise has become part of your routine, you must pay attention to how much protein you are getting. Exercise breaks down muscles, and to repair them, you need to consume more protein than you do normally.
Besides protein, it’s also important to focus on consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables. This ensures that your body gets a variety of nutrients. Some good food items for those who regularly exercise include lean meat, nuts or seeds, eggs, seafood, and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Wrapping Up
The decision to start an exercise program is a great one. However, rushing into it can derail all your efforts. To reap all of its benefits, you must take it easy. Starting out small will prepare the muscles and joints in your body to tolerate the pressure of high-intensity movements. It will prevent injuries and keep you motivated to achieve your fitness and health goals.
