The summer is in full swing and the gyms are constantly packed with exercise enthusiast who want to stay in shape. People are willing to push their bodies to brink of discomfort in order to see the results but the biggest thing that you can do when working out is to be safe. Running the risk of injury in order to look for changes in the mirror is not worth the price of eventual pain. It does not matter if you are a newbie to the exercise world or have been working out for years or decades and wanting to implement a new routine, being smart and taking your time is necessary. Here’s your top five tips for keeping it safe in the gym and getting the most out of your workouts.
No pain, no gain does not apply.
There is a big difference in between pushing yourself in the gym in order to gain muscles and pushing yourself to feeling pain. The best advice is to listen to your body. When it senses something is not comfortable then it is best to stop. Now, this does not mean stop working out completely, but simply back down the weight or give yourself a break. There is no pride is exercising to the point of pain especially if it comes at the cost of an injury. If you’re ever unsure of your threshold for lifting weights or exercising then it would be smart to seek the help of a personal trainer. He or she can perform a physical assessment to see what your body is capable of doing then form a specific program to help you see progress through your exercise regimen.
Be like a turtle and start slow.
It does not pay off to be the rabbit in the race to be healthy because it takes time. There is no amount of exercise or healthy foods that when taken or performed in abundance will yield better results. If you are new to working out then maybe start with a small walk on the treadmill or the recumbent bike to help get warmed up. Follow this up by easing into weights. There are tons of applications that can be found to help you begin a weight routine. AAPTIV is a great one and even offers videos to show you how to perform a given movement.
Routine chiropractic care.
It’s important for your body to be operating at its optimum potential when you are working out. The best way to make sure of that is to get aligned. You want to reduce any pressure that is being put on your nervous system in order to get the most out of your given exercise. So, if you are going to be pushing your body to the brink and truly want to challenge yourself then you want to take care of your body. Getting routine adjustments will not only allow your body to function better but it will greatly reduce the risk of future injury.
Learn to back it down.
Whether you have to miss workouts due to work, illness or any other circumstances it is best to lower your exercise intensity down the next time you go the gym. The body is still healing or could seem tight so weaning back into exercise is fine to reduce the chances of injury. If you get into the workout and you feel you body begin to weaken then stop and take a break. Resting is normal during exercise because the body does need time to recover. This is the same for time between days when you exercise. It is not usually a smart idea to go to the gym at night then turn right around the next morning and go for a run. The body has to rest in order to heel and recover. Being sure to get 7-8 hours of adequate rest is necessary for healing of tissues to get you ready for that next workout.
Get the proper gear and stay hydrated.
As the summer heat continues to sizzle it is important to dress accordingly. There might be times that you go to the gym and see the occasional person wearing a hoodie or even dressed in garbage bags in order to help “shed extra weight”. This is a big problem because the only thing that the person is doing is overheating their bodies in order to sweat more which allows them to lose more water. This can be dangerous because of the risk of heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. Be smart about what you wear to the gym and stick with shorts and a light weight shirt or tank top. If you decide to go outside for exercise then be careful with sun exposure and apply sunscreen before your workout.
When it comes to exercise, proper hydration is always important to help reduce the risk of possible injury. The body is composed of about 60% water and more specifically muscles are made up of 75% water. So, keeping oneself hydrated is crucial for better performance during exercise. We get around 70-80% of our daily hydration from what we drink. The other 20-30% come from fruits and vegetables like spinach, grapefruit, oranges, watermelon, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers and many others.
The best advice is to add some of these to your water for increased water supplementation. Usually oranges, strawberries, limes and lemons are the most popular because they are higher in vitamin C. The principal component in vitamin C is collagen which are the building blocks of muscle and aid in tissue recovery for exercise.