Coming back to exercise after a break

By: James Carter

I try to exercise several times a week; ideally I go to the gym twice and run twice. However recently I've been travelling and I've not been well, so I haven't exercised at all for about eight weeks. This week I decided to get back into it and what a hard week it's been!

For a start, I tried to complete my gym routine on Monday. I got through two of the ten exercises and had to stop as I had no energy left and my body was aching! Not a very encouraging start but I persevered and managed to complete another two exercises before having to admit to myself that I was badly out of condition. Rather than force myself to continue I decided to quit and come back another day to finish the routine. No point in hurting myself or I'd be out for an even longer period.

I managed the run on Tuesday better than I expected and managed to complete the rest of Monday's workout on Wednesday. Although I was disappointed that I couldn't manage any press-ups at the end - usually I can do 20 before collapsing, but I could only do 3! Today's run was also pretty good although shorter than I was running before my break, but the time was respectable.

What I've learned from this week is that when returning from a break, it's important to listen to your body & try not to do too much too soon. The muscles and ligaments need time to stretch and strengthen, so don't overdo it or you'll be sitting on the sidelines instead of enjoying the exercise!