Skip to main content

Getting Back to Fitness After a Long Break

It’s a hard realisation, but no matter what your fitness level is if you stop, you drop! All those hours spent in the gym and out running will be lost if you have a long layoff – either through injury or holiday and it could take a while to get that level of fitness back again.
The good part, though, is muscle memory. If you have achieved a certain level of fitness in the past, your body will retain some of that “fitness history” and this will help you get back to your former condition if you put your mind to it. I think the hardest element for all is realising that you cannot immediately go out and exercise at you pre-rest period intensity.
A good way to rapidly advance the process of getting back to full fitness is to find a hill that will take you 3 minutes to jog up. Now, this may seem a bit of a repetitive routine but it will get you back on track and push you hard. Jog up the hill at a slightly higher than comfortable pace and then walk back down and jog straight back up again. If there is a path that comes back down and around to the start point it will make the run more interesting and less tedious but the principle is the same.
As you get used to the hill run and circuit of running up and walking down, you can start to jog back down and increase the running speed uphill.
Strength training carries much the same principles and you will not be able to lift the same weights as before your rest period so don’t try or you may injure yourself. Start lighter and build up. Perform a full body circuit on the resistance machines, 1 set per body part, as this will give your muscles time to rest before the second set whilst still working a different muscle group. I like to perform opposite sets and perform a circuit following a routine of chest, back, leg extension, leg curl, shoulders, leg press/squat, bicep curl, triceps extension and calf raises. (depending on machines available). If you can perform this circuit 2 – 3 times over without resting in between sets, you will find that not only will you work all muscle groups, but you will also increase cardio vascular fitness. (this is not a daily routine as your body will need time to rest and should be performed no more than 3 times in a week. Remember your warm up, cool down and stretch routines).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LISS Cardio – 3 Tips on LISS Cardio

LISS cardio is the exercise you need to get shredded! I’m sure you all have heard of HIIT cardio: High Intensity Interval Training. Well LISS is the opposite end of the spectrum: Low Intensity Steady State. You may be asking yourself why you would want to do LISS cardio. The answer is simple! To preserve that lean muscle mass you have worked so hard to develop!! This type of cardio essentially bypasses the body using carbohydrates as fuel and instead uses fat. 1) The key to LISS cardio is to keep your heart rate between 65% and 75% of your maximum and to make sure the session last no longer than one hour. Of course you can do more than one session in a day but do not do them consecutively. 2) Examples of LISS cardio: a. Take your dog for a walk! Perfect LISS cardio for you and great cardio for your dog! It’s a win-win for both of you! b. Ride a stationary bike at 65 RPM 3) Do not eat anything before you do your cardio! I personally like to do mine right after I wake ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tomatoes and the Candida Diet

Tomatoes, once thought to be poisonous and grown only for decorative purposes, are today one of the world’s leading vegetable crops. Tomatoes have always been a part of my diet as I am huge fan of marinara sauce and salsa. Fortunately, tomatoes are permitted on the candida diet which I currently follow. The candida diet also known the anti-candida or yeast free diet is the cornerstone of treatment for a medical condition known as candidiasis. Candidiasis is an overgrowth of yeast in the body which causes a wide variety of seemingly unrelated health problems. Research suggests that a variety of foods and ingredients can exacerbate this condition. The candida diet seeks to eliminate or greatly reduce the intake of such foods. Tomatoes seem to be pretty well tolerated by most candidiasis sufferers. I believe the use of tomatoes allow you to create a variety of tasty meals which is extremely helpful on a diet that restricts so many foods. Tomatoes are delicious both raw and cooked which is...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diet Therapy – Objectives and Treatment

Diet is called one of the most effective methods for treating any patient and even for any healthy person. A variety of alternative diets are offered for treating cancer, cardiovascular disease, and food allergies. Basically most of the diets focus on eating fresher and freshly prepared vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Allergy to food has become a major area of research. Diet has been strongly implicated in many forms of arthritis. Food can cause arthritis and it can also help in the cure. Many of these special diets originated from the observation that RA is not found in societies that eat a more ‘primitive’ diet. Computer Home therapy has made the PC into an excellent tool for therapy. This diet therapy program uses light and sound which means visual stimulation through the use of pictures, colors, and live imagery. These techniques have been researched over the past ten years in Israel. Objective of diet therapy To adjust the diet to the body’s ability to use certain fo...
Post a Comment
Read more