One of the issues about doing your best to make up for lost time is that you often overlook something in the process and slow the whole thing down. The same problem tends to occur with exercising and workouts, as those who feel guilty about missing Monday’s workout go extra hard on Tuesday, pull a muscle, and have to sit out the rest of the week feeling even more aggrieved about the situation.
Many workouts can lead to injuries, and a lack of preparation often makes these worse. Any exercise that puts excessive force or pressure on your joints and limbs when your body is not ready for it can cause potentially severe consequences.
Running, for example, is one of the most popular choices for a workout as all you have to do is leave the house and pick a route. When your body isn’t at your mental level though, it tends to cause setbacks as you wake up in agony the next day after a pulsating circuit. This kind of event is only amplified when the intensity is higher. A two-hour session in the gym after forgetting to go for the last month isn’t going to leave you in the best shape the following morning.
Does this mean you should just avoid it altogether? Almost certainly not, would be the advice of most. To manage injuries and the stress you put on your body, it is best to employ a long-term approach and look at each workout compared to the goals you have set yourself. Most people would love to be able to go out and run a marathon, but most wouldn’t make it to the end without practice – lots and lots of practice.
It is important to pace yourself and set goals that are realistic with regard to the state you are in. Should you be a super-fit athlete, an endeavor to run several miles a night should cause no complexities. If you happen to be of average fitness, however, and you haven’t broken sweat for a couple of weeks, then take it slow. It is no embarrassing thing either, when you consider that everyone else is in the same position. You wouldn’t be disappointed not to be fluent in a new language after just a short period of trying, and fitness levels are no different.
Setting achievable, progressive targets can be key to managing expectations and thus reducing the stress you put your body under. If you keep up with the workload you intend to do, and are able to get fitter, how strenuous your future workouts are can be tailored on this basis.
Your mindset in all this is at the center of everything you are trying to gain. An impatient attitude never won endurance races, after all. If you end up getting mad and annoyed by how little you have managed to do in a certain week, consider lowering your targets and see how you get on. Typically, if somebody manages to achieve the goals they have set themselves, they feel much happier about it and find it easier to progress to the next level. By aiming too high at the start, it is easier to set yourself up for a big fall.
The same also applies mid-workout. A calm and relaxed mind will allow you to focus deeply and attune your body with your workout. Making sure that breathing is well regulated is considered very important in most aerobic exercises, and a lot of people find that by consciously listening to the body movements, it can be easy to forget you are even working out in the first place. Stretching is also a good way to relax and filter out all the distracting thoughts, as well as it being extremely beneficial for reducing stress injuries.
Sports gear is also definitely worth looking at when trying to proactively counter any injuries caused by a workout. If running around the block is your exercise of choice, consider opting for compression socks to reduce the radial force that impacts your joints. Compression wear is particularly useful for high-impact workouts, and supports for various joints can also be acquired. To find out more and look at the types of compression wear available to you, visit: http://www.tommiecopper.com/men/compression-socks
All of the above is good, solid advice, but the most important thing to remember is to listen to your body. Nobody else is as qualified to know how you feel as you are, naturally. By taking the time to listen to what your body is saying, it can really help in the long term.
