Resolving to Exercise in the New Year

posted at January 9, 2012

What is your New Years resolution?  Studies show that the most common New year’s resolutions are: quitting smoking, losing weight, and exercising more.

Losing weight and exercising more to improve your health or looks, and stress management are among the top reasons to begin an exercise program in the New Year.  Regular exercise has been associated with more health benefits than anything else, and studies show that it reduces the risk of some cancers, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood, lowers blood pressure, and even improves arthritis.  Keeping these resolutions beyond the second week of the year is the hard part.  However, studies suggest that if you set a specific goal or resolution, you are 10 times more likely to achieve your goal.  Setting goals to lose inches and pounds can lead to a decreased chance of success, so the goal should be based on creating a new habit.

The Next Step

The next step is committing to your goal. One of the most important factors of success in maintaining an exercise routine is doing something you enjoy. If you find something you really enjoy, the inches and pounds will drop before you know it.  If you hate running and it feels terrible to all of your joints, chances are you won’t be continuing to run by mid February.  On the other hand, if you love to dance, finding a fun Zumba class at the gym or church with a group of friends increases your chances of success.

Avoiding overtraining

The most discouraging part of starting an exercise routine, especially if you have been sedentary, is doing too much too soon.  Sore muscles and aching joints are common deterrents to continuing with your regular program, causing many people to give up early on their New Year’s resolution and move back into their old habits. Some soreness is expected when you begin a new exercise routine, however with your zeal to be a better you, it is quite common to injure yourself because of improper form, muscle imbalance, or performing exercises/activities that your body is not quite yet ready to take on.

You’ve come so far already and if the ache or injury begins to limit your ability to exercise, quitting becomes the next step for many. Don’t allow your desire to become a new you to be cut short, when seeking a solution from your physical therapist can, in most cases, quickly address the problem.

Consult with a Physical Therapist

Consultation with a physical therapist when an ache continues for 2-3 days or when an injury occurs is one of the best things you can do to prevent further injury. A physical therapist is trained in assessing and determining what is the actual root cause of the problem and then developing a course of action to begin to correct the issue. One of the goals of a good physical therapist is to find ways for their patients to continue on with their exercise routine without further injury, if at all possible.  Finding the right level of exercise specifically for you is no different than prescribing the right amount of medicine.  Too much can be very harmful and too little can be of little value.There are many factors that should be considered in designing an exercise routine specifically for you and your physical therapist can also properly assist you with this. These include: current level of fitness, current or past injuries or surgeries, and medical history.

Start Small

The best way to begin and maintain a successful program is to start small.  A 20 minute walk around the neighborhood is a great start. When it comes to weights, high reps and low weight is the best way to condition not only your muscles, but is the safest on your joints and ligaments.  If an exercise class, like Yoga, Spin or Boot Camp, is an hour-long class, start with 30 minutes the first time and then progress until you are keeping up with the rest of the class.

Highly Trained in Assessing Cause of Pain

The physical therapists at Results Physiotherapy are highly trained in assessing you for any muscle or joint problems that may limit you beginning and/or maintaining an exercise program. Most health insurances now allow individuals to self-refer to physical therapy without a referral from a physician.

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