Living Magazine English Living Magazine V4 | Page 11

Ease Back into Training
Monitor Exertion
Don ’ t Exercise in Pain

Into Fitness

Whether it is cold weather in the winter or long holidays in the summer , the reality is it can be hard to maintain a consistent workout routine . According to a recent study , those who report exercising for at least 30 minutes three or more days a week drops from October to February each year ; that number steadily rises throughout the spring and peaks in July . ( 1 ) If you haven ’ t been in a good habit of working out lately , proceed with caution when getting back into an exercise routine . Jumping back in after a long layoff could leave you over-trained or even injured . Be smart about your return to the gym and you ’ ll be fit again in no time .
When returning to exercise after a long break , it is not only your muscles and cardiovascular system that need to get warmed up , but your central nervous system ( CNS ) and connective tissues . The CNS , which includes your brain and spinal cord , controls most of the functions of the body and mind and is directly responsible for the communication that results in muscular action . While not training , its efficiency in recruiting motor units decreases , and you lose function and strength not from decreased muscular mass or fitness , but the inability to transmit muscular impulses . Training hard after a layoff may overload the CNS , resulting in overall body fatigue , decreased coordination , and increased risk for injury .
Exercise not only strengthens muscles , but connective tissue as well . Tendons and ligaments serve to hold structures , bones , and muscles together and keep them stable . Lack of mechanical work can weaken these structures , resulting in increased risk for injury . Exercising after a long layoff is much like stretching a cold rubber band that has not been in use ; with its flexibility and strength compromised , it is more likely to snap . Follow these basic principles when coming back from an extended period of detraining :

Ease Back into Training

Unless there is some firm deadline to get back into peak shape , start off slowly and progressively build up intensity . Giving your body time to readapt will not only decrease the risk for soreness and CNS overtraining , but provide the opportunity to rebuild connective tissue strength and work capacity , and will allow for sustainable progress . Train like you are a novice . If you are a runner , start back up with some easy tempo runs ; easy enough that you ’ ll be able to repeat it with a day of rest . If you are more into weight training , start off with full-body workouts , focusing on compound lifts ( movements involving more than one joint , ie . squats or bench press ) with submaximal loads and keep the amount of total work low . Slowly ramp up the load , intensity , and volume with each subsequent workout . Although adaptations will be slower , by progressively working up to your past intensity levels you ’ ll eliminate the pos sibility of overtraining and be more likely to stick to the program .

Monitor Exertion

If you haven ’ t gotten around to opening the box and reading the directions of that fancy new heart rate monitor lying around , this may be the ideal time . Whether it be perceived or through objective measurements such as that heart rate monitor or a wearable activity tracker , really focus on monitoring effort to maximise efficiency and minimise injury risk . One of the best ways to utilise heart rate measurements is to monitor progress . Try completing the first workout maintaining a specific , somewhat low , heart rate level , and increase it slightly or try to perform more overall work with each subsequent training session . If you are using an activity tracker , set a specific goal for calories burned during the workout and slightly increase it each workout . Jot down the various measurements in a notebook , as well as how you felt during the workout and the following day so you have a good frame of ref erence for how much further to push yourself in the next session .

Don ’ t Exercise in Pain

No axiom has been more destructive ( literally ) to well-laid exercise programmes and healthy bodies than “ no pain , no gain .” The physical exertion necessary to force your body into improving isn ’ t always comfortable , and neither is your body the next day , but pain is how your body tells you that something isn ’ t right . If you are in serious pain , don ’ t feel guilty about taking a day ( or two ) off and treating yourself to a massage including Deep Blue™ Rub . Two days off is better than two months .
The biggest factor in reaching any health or fitness goal is consistency . You can ’ t complete the next workout if your muscles are too sore to function , you are suffering from CNS overtraining , or nursing an injury . Ease back into training , monitor exertion , and be cognisant of pain and you ’ ll be back in shape in no time . doterra . com / 11