Keep Moving – no matter what your age!
It’s never too late to start exercising and become more active – your body will thank you for it in the long run! Exercise is for everybody – it’s really all about doing it at your own pace and to your own ability, and gradually challenging yourself to do a bit more.
As we get older we can become stiff, sore and find that we are getting weaker. Losing muscle mass is a common process of ageing but that doesn’t mean we have to sit back and let it happen. Having strong muscles provides a good support for our skeleton and can bring with it benefits such as improved balance and confidence on our feet. We really notice these benefits when we find it easier to climb stairs, to get dressed in the morning and to get in and out of the car.
So if you are starting to come around to the idea of exercising let me give you a few tips.
- Most importantly – don’t dive into a whole lot of physical activity when you’re not used to it. Your body needs time to adjust to the increase in exercise – if you don’t you may injure yourself. Take it slow and build up your tolerance by a few minutes each week. Most importantly, listen to your body! If you feel something niggle or hurt and aren’t comfortable with it then get it checked out! Make sure you factor in a day or rest from activity in the week.
- It probably will test your mental strength at some stage – usually within the first few weeks you will have days where you feel like giving up. Please don’t! You may have just gone at it a bi t hard, and burnt out, in which case make sure you’re not overdoing it. Or you may just need to give yourself time to form the new habit, get used to the idea of regular exercise before you start feeling the benefits!
- You can expect to be sore – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is common after exercising, especially when you’re not used to it. Most commonly you can feel it in the legs and arms but really it can happen to any muscle group. It can last from 1 day to 1 week so don’t be worried. Keeping active will help it pass and allow you to feel less sore.
If you don’t know where to begin, or you have a medical condition or injury that stops you from exercising, we can advise you. You can book an appointment at 0404-49781, or online at www.eastcoastphysio.ie/booking