With the sun out and the weather nice and warm now, many of you are getting out and exercising. Whether you’re in the gym, out for a walk or run, or a swim in the bay many of our clients have increased their exercise load over the last few weeks.
This makes me so happy as I love seeing people active and outdoors while they look after their health! However, exercising in the heat and increasing exercise levels can cause some issues that we want to avoid. So, I thought I would share some tips to avoid injury and maximise the benefit you get from your exercise.
Warm-up
- Warming up your muscles and joints before exercise is so important.
- Elite athletes do it because they know that not only does it prepare their body to perform at a high level, but it decreases the likelihood of injury while they exercise
Cool Down
- Just like the warm-up, the cool-down is a vital part of exercising.
- While it doesn't affect your performance from the workout you're cooling down from, it means you can go again the next day with less pain and stiffness.
Hydrate
- It is so important to maintain your hydration levels when you’re exercising.
- This, however, becomes so much more important now with the heat, especially if that exercise is cardio based.
- It is important that as an adult, you aim for 2-3 litres of water every day to make sure your brain and body are well hydrated.
Refuel
- It's always good to eat something small before a run, ride or workout so that you have some energy, but even more important is that you refuel after.
- A balanced meal afterwards with proteins, fibre and high nutritional value (such as fruits or veggies) will provide your body with what it needs to heal so that you can go again the next day (similar to the cool-down) but also give you energy for the rest of the day.
Ease in
- Don’t go straight from running once every other week, to running 10kms every day. That is a recipe for injury as the body is unable to stand the load you're putting it through. One reason we jump straight in is because we see others who have been training for years but don’t know how to get there.
- Speaking to your Osteopath, Remedial Therapist or Myotherapist may help in giving you a more manageable starting point. You could also chat with a personal trainer or exercise therapist who would have even more experience in this area.
Have Fun!
- Sometimes we get so bogged down by the weight of the feeling that we HAVE to exercise and NEED to ‘stay in shape’ so we work super hard in the gym or out running but we forget to have fun with it. The more fun you have with it the more likely you are to keep up that habit you might be trying to force.
- One tip for making this easier is regularly adding diversity to your exercise. Changing up the type of activity you're doing, or where you're doing it can make a massive difference in how we feel about the exercise we’re doing. Another way you can do that is to incorporate friends into your training. Grab a friend and ask them to go to the gym or for a run or ride with you. This makes it more about the social aspect and you can motivate each other too, both of which make it far more enjoyable.
I hope you can take this information and run with it so that you can continue to be as active as possible and continue to stay that way into the new year! If you have any questions or need any advice, contact our team at Canterbury Health Hub and we would be happy to help! Book your appointment today!