Getting Back On Track

You never know what things life may throw your way. Sometimes they interrupt your routine and get you off of your fitness track. Sometimes injury gets you down or you just plain get out of the habit. Whatever the situation may be, it seems that it’s not always easy to get back in to the swing of things, especially if you’ve allowed yourself to pack on a little extra weight.

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When jumping back in the a good fitness routine I have found it best not to jump right back in head first. Dip your toes in the water, take baby steps and don’t over-do it. Many people want to shed off the weight quickly and that is never the best way. They jump in to the gym and go at it full force for the first time in awhile. They wake up the next morning and want to swear off the gym for the rest of their lives. Sometimes you don’t even have to go all out to have sore muscles. It can just be the fact that you haven’t put them to good use in awhile.

Depending on exactly how sore your muscles are or how hard you pushed yourself, sore muscles can stick around for a few days. Sometimes the best way to alleviate sore muscles is to keep them loose by doing more exercise. Don’t over-do it again, but just go for a less intense workout and if you keep with your routine, sore muscles will be a thing of the past. Well, almost.

Legs have always been my kryptonite. Whenever train legs by doing squats I will be sore for sometimes up to a week. To keep my legs muscle loose and to prevent myself from walking around Frankenstein’s monster, I do series of body weight squats throughout the day. This is the only way that I have found to keep them loose and keep me from giving up on squats. I like doing squats, I love the way it makes me feel both during and shortly after, but not the next day. Plus it’s a great calorie burner.

Next time you go to get back in to a fitness program, take it easy at first and build yourself back up to speed.