Let’s Get Moving!
It's that time of the year where we all look and set New Year's resolutions, in which a lot of us look to improve our physical fitness. Especially in the current climate, where we are going through something we never imagined, getting moving and improving our physical fitness is something a lot of people are going to strive to do over the next few months. With the third lockdown in place throughout the UK it is important for our mental health that we get moving all while following the rules. Dancing around the kitchen whilst you cook can do as much good as a 30 minute walk.
With this in mind below are some tips and tricks to get moving along with discussing things like warming up and cooling down correctly, psychological benefits of exercise and guidance on injury prevention and management.
Tips and Tricks -
When starting out for the first time or getting back into a fitness program it can be important to understand a few things;
Go steady and listen to your body! It's going to hurt if you haven't trained before or for a while, so work out what's best for you and give yourself a break when needed.
Remember everyone starts somewhere, it's okay to not be the fastest or the strongest. In fact just by starting you are already better than you were before you started.
Be patient, this is always important but especially after the last year and everything we have been through there are going to be ups and downs.
Stay hydrated, this can help with so many things even away from your training session. It's even more important after any form of training to replace fluids you will lose in order to allow maximum recovery to occur.
Make sure you're getting enough sleep! Sleep is when your body recovers, allowing it to recover will only improve your training.
If you get hurt, seek help as soon as possible!
Importance of Warming Up -
Before starting your training session it is incredibly important to warm up correctly, this is to allow the gradual increase of heart rate. An increase of heart rate is important to provide the muscles with the important oxygen required to function. By doing this it increases body temperature which helps reduce the injury risk to the muscles. Warming up can take many different forms, current research suggests that dynamic warm up is the best regarding increasing heart rate and warming up the tissues without losing power.
Below are some suggestions to some exercises that you could include in your warm up:
Hip Flexor into Hamstrings
Hip Openers
Scapula Stretches
Walkouts
Downward Dog to Cobra
Thoracic Openers
Shoulder Circles
(Video demonstrations can be found in the link here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNsnk8bcCpEB6-Ek3avR1-aZTIGByD06X)
Cool Down Routine -
Cooling down after training is just as important as warming up!
This is in order to allow the gradual return of your heart rate to pre exercise levels as well as your blood pressure. By cooling down properly it can reduce the risk of muscle soreness and injury by allowing greater regulation of blood flow through the system. It is also a good habit to have a stretching routine to help maintain and improve your flexibility. Stretching can also be used to help destress and relax.
Some of my favourite cool down exercise are;
Calf Stretch
Forearm Stretch
Chest Stretch
Upper Back Open
Lower back Opener
Hip Flexors Stretch
Hamstrings Stretch
(Video demonstrations can be found in the link here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNsnk8bcCpEBhV-Or4tjvix_ohHV4K2EV)
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) -
Now we are back moving it is highly probable you are going to experience some discomfort in your muscles. This is commonly referred to as muscle soreness or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS traditionally starts one or two days after a workout and can last up to 5 days, however this is very dependent on the person. It is due to inflammation within the muscle which triggers the muscle soreness.
There are several ways to help with DOMS such as staying hydrated, sleep, doing active recovery and getting a massage. These all can help with the pain experienced, but it will naturally resolve on its own. Over time as your body adapts to training they will become less painful and less frequent.
Psychological Benefits to Exercise?
Everyone has been told before that they will feel better if they exercise, but why is that?
It is all down to endorphins! When you exercise and your heart rate is up this increases blood flow around the body that stimulates endorphin release to combat the stress that your body is being placed under whilst you exercise. These endorphins also known as neurotransmitters like serotonin and/or norepinephrine are released that help teach the body how to respond to the stress being placed on it.
These along with other neurotransmitters that are released are all associated with feeling happy, confident along with feeling less anxiety and stress. Other positive benefits are increased energy, increased personal satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment.
So when people tell you that you will feel better it's true, there is truth behind it from a psychological standpoint. Try it one day if you're feeling down, put your favourite playlist on and go for a walk.
Returning after a Break -
Returning after a period of time off can be daunting for most, possibly more than starting out in the first place. It is important to remember that your body isn't going to be able to jump back into where it was before you stopped, especially if that break was enforced by injury.
When restarting a program it is important to ease yourself into it making sure to work under your previous maximum and start with the basics rather than complicated movement patterns. Patience is also key, remembering that you started at the beginning before and you can do it again.
Coming back from injury is a process that should be overseen by a professional in order to prevent further damage to the area and that your surrounding musculature is being strengthened.
