Sustaining an injury can often mean more than just the inconvenience of putting your feet up for a few days. Sometimes it can mean taking a long break from exercise, which is super frustrating if you are someone who regularly trains. Whether you are a professional athlete or a fun runner, taking a break from exercise can often feel like taking two steps back in your fitness progression. So, how do you ease yourself back into exercise after taking an injury related break?
Go slow
It’s important to remember that it is much better to make a slow and pain free recovery than risk another injury by jumping straight back into exercise. Your body is not going to be as strong or fast as it was before you sustained your injury, so make allowances for that and take it easy by going slowly and stop if you feel pain.
Go gentle
Rather than hitting the track and testing your running speed, take a gentler approach by walking and swimming for a few weeks first. Start with a few short laps and gradually build up as your body gets stronger again.
Listen to your body
Your body loses conditioning super quickly when it doesn’t exercise, so although your muscle memory might kick in your body will not be ready to hit it as hard as you did before. Start off with putting in around 50% of your normal effort and gradually build this up in 10% increments over time. And remember, if you feel pain, stop.
Warm up
Warming up and cooling down properly will give your body the chance to get used to moving and stretching again. This should also help to prevent any further injury.
Seek help
Trained physiotherapists and personal trainers will be able to help you work around your injury by providing detailed programmes for recovery.
Sleep well
One of the best ways to aid a full recovery is to sleep well. As we sleep, our bodies restore and repair damaged muscles and tissues, so getting enough rest is a vital step in making sure that you can train again quickly. Check that you are getting the sleep you need by installing a sleep monitor or using a tracker to collect data as you rest so that you can identify where you can improve your sleep.
If you would like to find out more about how a REM-Fit Mattress, REM-Fit Sleep Monitoring technology or Zeeq Smart Pillows can help you to get a better night’s rest, please get in touch with our experienced, knowledgeable staff by calling 020 8731 0020 or email us via sales@rem-fit.co.uk.
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