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Before get-go a fitness routine after a long break from physical activity, experts say it's best to set realistic expectations and ease into exercise to avoid injuries. Little Bee eighty/Getty Images
  • Subsequently taking a long break from physical activity, near people will not be able to perform at the same level they once did.
  • Information technology's of import to manage expectations and set up realistic goals when easing back into exercise after a break.
  • Varying your workouts and including force training in your fitness routine will aid you increase your endurance and reduce the risk of injury.

If you lot took a long break from exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, you're not alone.

The stress and uncertainty of the by year, along with the closure of many gyms and need for physical distancing, have thrown off many people's workout routines.

Getting ill from COVID-xix, a debilitating disease with weeks or sometimes months of symptoms, has also greatly express the power to appoint in physical activity for many people.

As vaccines continue to curl out throughout the United states and restrictions begin to ease, information technology'south natural that many people are eager to get active once again.

However, there are some things people should be mindful of while restarting their fitness routines to avoid injury and get the most out of returning to practice.

People who accept taken a long suspension from exercise are likely to find that they may not be able to do the things they one time could.

Whether this is running a 5K or holding a yoga pose, experts say not being able to perform at the same level is to exist expected.

Still, this may exist difficult for some to accept.

Many people, peculiarly those who were very able-bodied or worked out a lot before the pandemic, may think they're more capable physically than they actually are, said Christina Frederick, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in motivation for sport and exercise.

"Our physical appearance, our perceived fitness, and our identity as an athlete or fit person are all part of who nosotros are," she told Healthline.

"As we age or when significant long-term events happen in our lives (like the pandemic), our fettle can besides exist negatively impacted. When that happens there is cognitive dissonance betwixt our fettle-based identity and the reality of the situation," she said.

Common reactions people may have to this are frustration and anger. Only these feelings won't serve you if you're trying to get back into fitness.

"Angry or frustrated people tin set unrealistic goals or spring into a routine that is too difficult or likewise intense," said Frederick, who is besides an associate professor of psychology and man factors at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. "They risk losing motivation through failure experiences or injury."

She said a healthier pick is "to engage in self-exam and to reassess considerately who we are and where we are."

"This tin lead to the creation of goals to help motivate us to become back on track and reengage in fitness and wellness activities and so that our identity and our reality of self come into alignment again," Frederick said.

The key to returning to exercise safely after a long break is to have small steps and frequently change upward your routine, said Dr. Melissa Leber, FACEP, director of emergency department sports medicine at Mountain Sinai in New York City.

"The way our bodies piece of work is that we really do need to gradually ease back into the training regimen," she told Healthline. "And your grooming regimen needs to be varied in terms of intensity, frequency, and the blazon of conditioning you do."

For example, for someone who used to run frequently before a long intermission, Leber recommends introducing interval training or jogging 2 or three times a week along with low-bear upon workouts like yoga or Pilates on other days of the calendar week.

"Our bodies don't respond well to the same repetitive activeness and the same sport over and over and over once more," Leber said.

In add-on to building endurance, this kind of cross-training volition likewise help prevent injury.

Forcefulness training is too an important role of getting dorsum to exercise safely, equally weakened muscles tin lead to joint pain.

"The older yous are, the more of import that gets," Leber said.

If you do end up pushing yourself too hard and become injured, rest is important.

"Take a break from that exercise that caused information technology and accept an anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen," Leber said.

She recommends giving it almost a week to see whether the injury gets amend.

During that time, you can still practice other types of exercise. For example, if you have knee pain from running, endeavor going for a swim.

If the injury does not subside within a week, information technology's fourth dimension to see your doctor.

"If you lot have joint swelling or can't acquit weight, then I would seek out medical attention sooner than later," Leber said.

If you don't see results from your new workout routine right away, it can get frustrating, and you may exist tempted to surrender. But remember, it will but become easier with fourth dimension.

"Once you make practise a addiction and a routine, your endorphins and your ain encephalon are actually able to motivate you," Leber said. "But making information technology a addiction and making it a routine is the hardest first step."

To make exercise an enjoyable habit, it's important to cull activities you lot similar to exercise, Frederick said.

"For instance, I love cardio-type activities, but I hate to run," she said. "If I want to get in shape, it makes little motivational sense for me to choose running. Information technology makes more than sense for someone to examine what they bask doing for health and fitness, and what options they have locally to appoint in those things."

Additionally, if you bask activities that are more than social in nature, you may want to look into taking an outdoor fitness class or finding a workout partner to stay engaged and motivated.

Finally, to stay on track, experts recommend setting goals and using a fitness device or mobile app to track your progress.

"Goals should be specific, realistic, and attainable," Frederick said. "Maybe y'all tin just do 3 days of walking per calendar week for xxx minutes at a time and yous volition endeavor to get your heart rate to 60 percentage of max. That's great! Articulate it and track it."

Go along at it even if y'all tin can't achieve your goals right away.

"Nosotros don't graduate college later a few months," Frederick said. "Why should we call back we will be fit afterward a couple tries? Once you lot attain your goal and sustain it, then increment the challenge."