By Jill Witte
A typical question I get from prospective clients is, “Am I able to exercise?” My response to them is, “Why do you feel you are not able to exercise?” The most common answers are that they have an autoimmune disease, a chronic illness, just had joint surgery, don’t have good balance, or are too old to work out. I always say, “Anyone can exercise. You just have to take what is going on with you into consideration, have good form, and listen to your body before, during, and after you exercise.”
Our bodies are always changing. What we were able to do one day, we may not be able to do the next. We have to adapt to how our body feels on the day of the workout. First, make sure to have proper form and use the muscle you are training. Exercising is not about going through the motions. Our brain and body must connect as we think about the muscles we need to use during an exercise. When I am teaching a new client how to do a squat, I tell them to use their glutes and quads as they push up from the down position. If they feel any pain in their knees while doing the exercise, I ask them if they are using their knees instead or their glutes and quads. When the client performs the squat again (this time thinking about the glutes and quads as they push up), they don’t feel pain in their knee anymore.
The other thing we need to consider is how our body feels before, during, and after the workout. If you are feeling rundown before you start exercising, it is best to go lighter with the weights and not push yourself into exhaustion. If you do not, you could feel worse at the end of the workout than when you started. If your body is sore and stiff, do some stretching or cardio to help warm up your body and make you more flexible.
If you start feeling sharp, stabbing pain while doing an exercise, stop! Make sure you have proper form and use the right muscle for the exercise. If you are still feeling the sharp, stabbing pain, don’t push through it. You could end up injuring the muscle.
After a workout, listen to how your body feels. If a muscle is feeling tighter than usual, use some heat on the muscle and then stretch or foam roll to help release the tension. When you return to work that muscle again, start with light weight to ensure it feels good and is not tightening up on you.
If you are someone who thinks they are unable to exercise, know that you can. If you need help getting started you can email me at info@TrueFitBalance.com.