It’s that time of year again, where we think about the year ahead and ways to improve things in our life. The big resolution for many people is starting to exercise regularly.
Follow my Top Tips for your exercises goals in 2016!
- Pick a realistic target. Be clear on how much time you can commit weekly to your exercise goal and take into consideration your starting point.
- Start small. The biggest reason for injury with training programmes, is over training. So start slowly and increase slowly weekly. Guideline for increasing weekly mileage when running is 10%.
- Fail to plan and you plan to fail. Have a plan of days and times that you can fit in your new exercise regime. If you can fit the programme into your weekly routine, you are more likely to stick to it.
- Get the right gear, footwear is extremely important if you are undertaking a new exercise regime. I can do a full lower limb assessment in the clinic, to see if you need specialist insoles (orthotics) to keep you injury free.
- Track your progress. There are many gadgets and phone apps available to track your exercise progression. If you have a programme that you can see your progress, it will really help with keeping you motivated to keep going.
- Stick to it. If you miss a day, just start again the next day. It takes a few weeks to become a habit, so don’t be too tough on yourself and just keep going!
- Reward yourself. When you start to reach your goals, reward yourself with new fitness gear to keep you motivated.
- Talk about it. If you chat about your fitness goals with your friends and family you are more likely to follow it through.
- Keep Trying. Persistence is the key, you’ll get to your goal if you keep going.
- Change one behaviour at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many changes at once.
- Stretch, stretch and stretch some more. Many injuries I treat in the clinic are due to lack of stretches before and after exercise. Stretching after exercise is most important, to prevent injuries. Check out my website motionphysio.ie/exercises/ for pictures on all the stretches you need to be doing.
Best of luck with your New Year’s resolutions. Wishing you health and happiness in 2016, Avril.
