Before You Exercise
Proper Preparation Prevents Injury and Assures a Good Workout
So you've made the decision to begin a fitness program. Good for you. Plan to just run out there and begin exercising like you used to do when you were 18? Well, hold on there a minute. You're not ready to begin just yet. First of all, you're no longer 18. Second of all, your body has probably gotten quite used to just sitting around watching TV and eating bad pizza. Jumping right into an exercise program without proper preparation can lead to some serious injuries.
Just like warming up a car before you take it out on the open road, you've got to warm up and prepare your body to exercise. Proper preparation before exercise reduces the initial shock to your body and significantly reduces the chance of minor injuries, such as muscle sprains and strains, as well as some major ones such as muscle tears, bone fractures, and possible heart attacks.
Here are some points to remember before you begin your new exercise routine.
Start With a Checkup
First of all, check with your doctor or healthcare professional before starting any exercise or fitness program. I know we've mentioned this before but it's important enough to mention again. A quick medical checkup should uncover any blood pressure and/or heart problems that you may have developed over the past couple of years. Yes, I know that mentally, you feel like you're still 18. So do I. But the simple fact is that physically, we're not so hustle on down to your doctor and get yourself checked out before someone finds you in your brand new running shorts passed out on the side of the road.
Take 10 to Warm Up
Second, make sure that you warm up your body for at least 10 minutes before you start your actual exercise routine. A proper warm up will slowly increase your heart rate, get you breathing a little deeper and harder, and get a good supply of oxygenated blood to your muscles. Your muscles will begin to warm up and will be ready to flex, pull, stretch, and extend without strain or injury.
What kind of exercise makes a good warm up? Actually, any activity that takes your muscles through a full range of motion and that is done with enough intensity to slowly elevate your breathing and heart rate. A good example is a few minutes of arm and upper body rotations followed by a few minutes of slow and easy jogging in place.
The key to a good warm up is to loosen all of the joints and to flex all of the major muscle groups so that they are warmed up and prepared for the heavier exercise that follows. As your body begins to get in better shape, it will take less time for it to get warmed up but since you're just starting out, make sure that you spend at least 10 minutes warming up. Believe me, your body will thank you later.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Third, start slow and aim to build your physical health incrementally. Yes, I know that you've got a lot of lost time to make up for but this is something you can't rush. If you do, you'll just end up hurting yourself which will set you back even further. So take it slow.
Want to know what's much more important than speed or quantity when it comes to exercise? Consistency. Exercising on a consistent basis. Although the human body will increase in strength and endurance when it's exercised, the sad truth is that if you stop exercising, all of that progress goes right out the window. Starting out slow increases the chances that you'll stay with it longer.
Your goal should be to build your physical health in small increments, a little at a time, over the rest of your lifetime. Sound like an unrealistic goal? Not really. Not when you break it down into small increments. Actually, looking at it in this way should take the pressure off. Now you don't have to feel pressured to lose 20 pounds by next weekend. Since you're constantly improving in small increments, all you have to lose this week is 1 pound, followed by a pound the week after that, and so on. Isn't that a whole lot more realistic? Sure it is.
Stay Hydrated
Fourth, it's vitally important that you remain hydrated during any type of physical activity to replace the fluids that you'll be losing through perspiration. Not drinking enough water during exercise can lead to headaches, muscle cramps, and dizziness. However, drinking too much water too fast can lead to nausea and loss of electrolytes. Here are a few tips to help keep you hydrated:
- Make sure you take no more than a couple of sips of water before you begin to exercise as well as during your warm up. Drinking too much water before starting heavy exercise will make you feel sluggish and may lead to nausea and vomiting.
- During your exercise routine, take small but frequent sips of room temperature water. I'm not a big believer in drinking ice cold water since I believe it places an additional shock on your system that is already trying to recover from the exercise. Whatever the temperature of the water you drink, take frequent and small sips throughout your entire workout so your body stays hydrated.
- Avoid gulping large amounts of water all at once. Your body simply can't absorb it fast enough and doing it during a strenuous activity like exercise will most likely upset your stomach.
- If you drink Sports Drinks as a water substitute, make sure you know what's in them. Some sports drinks contain electrolytes, trace chemicals that your body loses during perspiration. Drinks that contain them are probably a good idea during your cool down period. Other sports drinks contain vitamins and/or minerals. It's questionable whether these provide any real benefits during or after exercise. Also keep in mind that many "no calorie" drinks probably add artificial sweeteners like aspartame - something that you'll want to watch.
- Stay away from caffeine. Caffeine causes your body to shed water (it's a diuretic) so don't drink any coffee, tea, or soft drinks immediately before or after exercise.
| 
