When people start to exercise for the first time, they think that workouts have to be really intense or even painful to give results, but this is absolutely not true. Starting with a hard exercising after a long period of inactivity is not only unhealthy for your organism, but can also lead to serious injuries, painful sensations and disorders in the cardiovascular system. Professional trainers claim that the moderation presents the foundation of every safe exercising, meaning that every exercising program should start with a slow pace, and then gradually increase frequency, intensity and duration of exercising sessions. On the other side, it would be very smart to consult your doctor before you start with intensive workouts, especially if your health is unstable or you have a history of injuries, high blood pressure, diabetes or osteoporosis. Regardless of whether you are planning to exercise for the first time or you work out every day, there are some useful advice to help you ensure the maximum safety during the activity:
Perform exercises properly
Incorrect exercising is the main cause of injuries, such as sprain wrists or lasting muscle inflammation, which is why you must ensure you perform each exercise properly, in recommended series and from the beginning. Make sure you know the technique of each exercise since that will activate your muscles evenly and diminish an opportunity to get injured.
Warm up before exercising
Your body needs an effective warm up before you continue further exercising, and it’s usually enough to have 15 minutes of easy aerobic exercises to speed up your blood flow, warm up the muscles and prepare your body for more intense activity. When performing a warming up, don’t forget to cool down in the end by slowing the pace of your last exercise.
Equip yourself with the right gear
The majority of injuries during exercising come from inadequate shoes, so depending on the exact type of exercises you’ll perform, you should use either athletic snickers or workout shoes. Athletic shoes with the right rope laces are intended for walking and running and your workout shoes must be replaced frequently (at least every 6 months). The clothes you’ll wear while working out depends from the weather conditions, so make sure you wear comfortable and light clothes during the warm periods, and dress in layers during the cold days. Another useful gear you should have while exercising is a quality rock tape, since it will protect your shins from scars, cleans, and deadlifts and it’s appropriate for a range of activities from cross fitting to trail running.
Follow your body signals
It’s very important to be aware of the signals your body is sending – if some exercise doesn’t make you feel good, that’s a pretty certain indicator that you’re either not performing the exercise properly or that the exercise is not suitable for your health condition. Therefore, as soon as you face with discomfort or you feel unwell, stop with exercising and consult with your doctor.
Always stretch
Stretching before a working out session should be a part of your warm-ups because there is a risk of injury if you perform stretching while your muscles are cold. So, upon cooling down after a warm up, make sure you also take some time to stretch, where you’ll perform the stretches easily and slowly and pay attention that you’re not pushing too hard. Hold the stretch for about 20 seconds, inhale before and exhale after the stretching and don’t repeat the same stretch several times.
Drink enough water
During intense workouts, your body releases a plenty of liquid what may lead to dehydration or heat stroke. It’s best to have a quick sip of water every 20 minutes during the exercising, but you can also drink two cups of water around 15 minutes before exercising and the same amount after. This way you’ll keep your body constantly hydrated and diminish the chance of serious complications which may occur due to dehydration.
Perform variety of exercises
When you keep doing the same set of exercises for a long period, not only that your muscles will get used to it and you’ll get less benefit, but it may lead to overtraining which can cause various injuries. Hence, include the variety of different workouts into your exercising program, and that will ensure activation of the whole musculature, not just certain areas. You can reach this variety either by performing different sports or by combining aerobic exercising and strength training.
Give yourself a break
You must know that your body has limits and pushing it beyond its boundaries may negatively influence your organism, lead to injuries and even serious diseases. Therefore, give yourself at least one day off during the week, or if you have a muscle inflammation make sure you rest until your body completely recovers.
Even though it looks like completely harmless activity, exercising definitely requires certain precaution measures and paying attention to your body and the way it responds to intense physical activity.