We’ve already had some lovely warmer days as we head into the last 2 weeks of winter. This winter season has been particularly hard on our health, COVID, flu season, rain and lots of washed-out sport. No doubt everyone will be thinking about getting back into their typical exercise regime as we get longer and hopefully sunnier days, but we don’t want to be hindered by any injuries.
Here are our top tips for getting back into it injury free:
- Pick one or two activities to start with. Pick your most missed activities and focus on fitting these back into your schedule first.
- Start slow! Remember that your body has had a break, this means you need to return at a lower intensity and duration than before (e.g. slower running pace or less reps at the gym), and less frequency (e.g. less sessions per week). You need to give your body time to recover and rest days as you return.
- Don’t forget about mobility. A warm-up is especially important at this stage and should include spinal mobility exercises. In the clinic, we have been seeing lots of sore thoracic spines after a chronic cough or time spent slouched over on the couch.
- Listen to your body as it recovers after exercise. If you notice soreness other than your typical 24-48 hour post-exercise muscle soreness (DOMs) or anything that is more than a 2-3/10 pain, get it looked at.
At SquareOne we offer clinical exercise and performance sessions that are the perfect opportunity to get your body moving again. If you’ve lost confidence, or just want to be sure that you’re strong enough to get back into your routine, book a session with one of our physios today.
Or call our team to book in 99683424