HEALTH DON’T SWEAT IT

Are you doing it right?

Are you ready to start a new exercise program to lose weight, reduce stress or simply get into better shape? Motivation is half of the battle! But once you’re ready to begin, make sure you do so safely by taking some steps to ensure that you won’t cause your body more harm than good through your exercise program. Here are some tips on how to exercise safely:

Talk to the Doc

If you’re generally healthy and don’t have preexisting conditions that might make exercise dangerous, talking to your doctor before you start an exercise program may not be entirely necessary. You can probably just take the other steps listed below and listen to your body carefully. However, you may need to talk to your doctor before you begin an exercise program if you fit into one of the following categories:

• You are pregnant

• You have a heart condition

• You have a chronic disease

• You are under 18

• You have any health concerns that might interfere with exercise

• You want professional help in setting up your exercise and healthy eating regimen

If you fit into these categories, it’s important to talk with your doctor before you begin a new exercise program. It’s usually safe for pregnant women, people with heart conditions and most chronic diseases, and teenagers or even children to exercise, but these people may need a little more medical guidance in order to exercise safely.

Balance is Key

It’s easy to let New Year’s resolutions or an extra boost of motivation at any time of year make you push your body too hard, too quickly. Yes, it can be satisfying to start out with a hard, sweaty workout, but there are a few different problems with this. For one thing, if you exercise too hard at first, you’ll be more likely to experience soreness and pain that can keep you from exercising regularly. When you’re getting started with a new regimen, exercising regularly and building the habit of exercising most days of the week are much more important than going for a really strenuous workout from the get-go.

Also, pushing your body too hard at first is likely to result in injuries like strained muscles and stress fractures. Listen to your body, and if you feel the need to pull back on your intensity or the duration of your workout, do so. The key here is balance. You want to push your body enough that you’re actually improving your level of fitness and/or losing weight, but you don’t want to push too hard at first. On the other hand, you shouldn’t be lifting three-kilogram weights if you can handle 10, and you shouldn’t be walking just four kilometres per hour if you can easily walk six miles per hour on the treadmill.

One good rule to follow is to increase your physical activity by about 10 percent at a time.

For example, you can try to increase the weight you are lifting by 10 percent a week until you reach your goal.

Don’t Blow Hot and Cold

Studies have shown that cold muscles are more prone to injury, so warm up and stretch before you get into your workout. If you’re doing a cardio workout outside or on a machine, this can mean simply starting out at a slower pace for a few minutes and then stopping to stretch before you perform the more strenuous portion of your workout. If you’re going to be lifting weights or participating in a similar activity, do some jumping jacks, hop on a stationary bike, or walk in place for a few minutes to warm up before you start.

Keep It Up

Some people who want to start working out fall into the trap of working out extra-hard on the weekends and then not doing anything during the week. This can be dangerous, for it leaves you more prone to exhaustion and injury — and at the very least, it leaves your body feeling very sore on Monday morning! Also, exercising on just the weekends isn’t enough to really increase your fitness level. Instead, aim to get 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day — even if you have to do it in short 10-minute segments.

Read the Instructions

If you’re going to incorporate weightlifting, yoga, pilates or other similar exercises into your weekly regimen, you will need professional guidance from a qualified instructor or trainer. For example, you should go to a yoga class before you try out a yoga video at home, and get a personal trainer at your local gym to show you how to safely lift weights before you attempt it yourself. Such exercises rely on very specific body movements, and if you do those movements incorrectly, you are setting yourself up for injury.

Proceed With Care

While you don’t want to get bored with your new fitness routine, you also want to make sure you’re adding in new exercises and activities slowly. New activities and exercises are the most likely to cause injury, and trying to do too many of them at once can cause major problems. If you’re not sure what exercises you should add or how to incorporate a new workout into your routine, consult a qualified personal trainer.