3 tips for going back to exercise after the lockdown

As the lockdown in Australia eases and restrictions are lifted gyms, yoga studios, pilates studios and pools are reopening. This is great news, especially if you are noticing your pants are getting a bit tighter.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when going back:

Ease back into it. As the saying goes “if something is worth doing, it’s worth overdoing”. It is really tempting at this time to jump back into exercise to make up for lost time. It’s a good idea over the first few weeks and months to build back up to what you were doing. If you try to jump straight into where you were at then the potential for injury will go up.
This is a good time to reflect on your goals and what your exercise regime looks like. If you’ve always just done Yoga or the gym maybe it’s a time to add something new that you’ve always wanted to do. Also things like weight loss, mobility, endurance or strength can be reassessed. This can be a good time to take on a personal trainer or to do one on one classes so as to ensure you are on the right path.
Now is a good time to get the basics going again. If you go to the gym It is a good time to work on mobility and stability before heading straight back into strength training. This is especially important if you have an injury or have been recovering from an injury. This also applies if you are into Yoga or Pilates. Have you mastered the basics before you move on to harder postures that rely on a strong and stable foundation.

For many, exercise is harder to fit back into our lives as working from home means it may be harder to get out to the gym or a class. Incidental exercise like cycling, walking or running can be good to take up as you can fit exercise into your life. When getting back into training and exercise putting down the chocolate and Chardonnay and ensuring you have enough nutrients in your diet as well as staying hydrated.

Let remember how lucky we are to have navigated through the pandemic relatively unscathed and grateful that we have the opportunity to exercise again without restriction.