Exercise stresses your body. You don’t have to be an Olympic medallist. You may just love taking part, do it for social participation, general health, fitness goals, or wellbeing benefits. Your body needs the right amount and types of stresses.
Here’s 6 simple steps you can take to protect your health when exercising:
1. Warm-up
A 10 minute warm-up of gradually exposing our body to increased heart rate and increasing range and speed of joint movement prepares your body effectively. Warm-up makes a difference to how our tissues perform. You are less likely to injure tissue if you warm up effectively.
2. Think of the intensity of your exercise
How many times do you perform your exercise? What speed? If using weights, how heavy? How many hills are there in your program? Downhills count too for runners! Change training variables gradually.
3. Strengthen your muscles
Do a few strengthening exercises 3-4 times a week. Strength adds protection and gives you stable, well supported joints but it is best done gradually.
4. Look after your back
Work on posture, flexibility, and having core muscle control. We live in a world of sitting – try to break it up regularly. Simply standing up and sitting down again every 30minutes has a marked benefit in changing tension on tissues and improving circulation. Walk and stand more.
5. Schedule recovery time
Have 1-2 days a week where you don’t do strenuous exercise. This needs to be different again in our 40s, 50s and beyond where training programme structure needs even more thought. Recovery allows your tissues to adapt, strengthen and become more efficient and fit for purpose. Training is the stimulus. Recovery is where your body changes.
6. Be structured & consistent
Approach sport and exercise in a well structured and consistent way and you’ll experience the benefits. Stress your body in a good way!
Here’s 6 simple steps you can take to protect your health when exercising:
1. Warm-up
A 10 minute warm-up of gradually exposing our body to increased heart rate and increasing range and speed of joint movement prepares your body effectively. Warm-up makes a difference to how our tissues perform. You are less likely to injure tissue if you warm up effectively.
2. Think of the intensity of your exercise
How many times do you perform your exercise? What speed? If using weights, how heavy? How many hills are there in your program? Downhills count too for runners! Change training variables gradually.
3. Strengthen your muscles
Do a few strengthening exercises 3-4 times a week. Strength adds protection and gives you stable, well supported joints but it is best done gradually.
4. Look after your back
Work on posture, flexibility, and having core muscle control. We live in a world of sitting – try to break it up regularly. Simply standing up and sitting down again every 30minutes has a marked benefit in changing tension on tissues and improving circulation. Walk and stand more.
5. Schedule recovery time
Have 1-2 days a week where you don’t do strenuous exercise. This needs to be different again in our 40s, 50s and beyond where training programme structure needs even more thought. Recovery allows your tissues to adapt, strengthen and become more efficient and fit for purpose. Training is the stimulus. Recovery is where your body changes.
6. Be structured & consistent
Approach sport and exercise in a well structured and consistent way and you’ll experience the benefits. Stress your body in a good way!