Top Tips For Exercising in 2025
What gems am I going to read? I hear you say…….Well buckle in…..
The more we understand about exercise, the more we know that it is fast becoming the wonder drug of modern medicine. Advice on exercise is given by lots of Healthcare professionals and exercise can be useful in helping and even curing a number of different diseases and conditions. However, it can also be very daunting. How we exercise and the type of exercise we do, will have differing effects on our bodies. For all exercise, whether a beginner, a returner or a seasoned athlete, we must gradually increase any volume, weight, intensity and frequency to make sure we do not experience any of the negative effects of exercise. Too many times we hear “it just made me sore so I stopped”.
Ache in the muscles is ok after exercise as it just means we have worked hard, and we need to have ache in the muscles after exercise to strengthen muscles. Ache in the joints or shooting or sharp pain is not ok, and that suggests we have pitched our exercise level too high. It does not matter if “I used to be able to do this no problem”, or “I feel I should be able to do this”. It means at this moment in time, this is too much for you. You can try reducing things a little to see if that helps, but if you feel lost, a Physiotherapist can help you find your way. We understand the affect different stresses, strains and conditions have on your body so we can help you find the right exercisesand level for you.
“Should I walk, should I run, should I cycle or should I go to the gym?” The options are endless. What do you enjoy doing or what would you prefer to do? Returning to exercise after an injury or illness or a period of rest can be scary as you can be scared to cause yourself any harm. The same principles as I described above apply. Start gently and gradually build up. It is important to work with your body, as opposed to against it. A good Physiotherapist will ask how the exercises you are doing are going. The feedback from your body is so important to tune into, to make sure they are the right exercises for you. This can be issue with Dr Google, the communication pathway is only one way. Feedback from our patients is so important to make sure we are getting the correct response. The correct exercises for John, will not necessarily help Tom.
In summary what are my top tips
Have a fab 2025 working on the best version of you. You are worth it.