STAYING FIT FOR THE LONG TERM

We’ve all done it. As the winter arrives, after intense months of the summer sun, we promise ourselves to eat more healthily, exercise more and generally take better care of our body. And so it begins, we sprint off into the winter full of enthusiasm and hope that the rest of the year we will feel better about ourselves in body and mind.

Although this is all positive and it’s great to have goals, make sure you hit the ground running with caution otherwise you could find yourself literally on the back foot.

If you haven’t exercised in some time, or you have had some time out, make sure you start your fitness journey with caution. Here are some top tips from The Physio Centre team on how to keep you on the right path for upcoming months.

1. Baby Steps Start slowly. Whatever sport you decide to try, or continue, ease yourself in gently. Just 15-20 minutes a day is a good start and will build the right foundation for you to build upon as your body gets stronger.

2. Warm Up Be kind to your body. Make sure you warm up those muscles properly before you put them through their paces. Just five minutes of gentle walking and stretching makes all the difference. Jumping straight into an exercise without warming up can cause injuries to muscles and tendons that can take months or even years to mend.

3. Technique When we exercise our technique is very important. Exercising with suboptimal instead of wrong technique is one of the main causes of muscle damage change to injury. In fact, at The Physio Centre, since the start of the pandemic, we have seen a vast increase in those clients visiting for treatment due to sports-related injuries as exercising from home using online sources proves more and more popular.

4. Continuity Start slowly and build up your strength if you want to build a solid base. Exercising little and often will mean that as you increase the intensity or your exercise regime, your body will be strong enough to cope. Don’t try to run before you walk. Remember also that rest days are important to allow for muscle repair and recovery.

5. Injury If you do feel an ache or pain even after you’ve warmed up properly, stop. Rest your body and try again when you feel ready and if the symptoms still persist then it may be advisable to contact your physiotherapist or doctor to book an appointment to get things checked over. The worst thing you can do is carry on regardless as this may lead to a more potential serious injury and which will take longer to recover from. If you are suffering from a sports-related injury or would like more advice on how it can be prevented, please contact us today on the number below.