One of the biggest problems with starting a new fitness routine is the sore muscles that accompany the few days after a good workout. Many people make their resolutions each year to lose weight and get in shape; a few weeks later they have missed a few workouts and haven't even gotten into a real good daily routine to promote a healthier lifestyle! What many people don't realize is that when their muscles haven't worked out in a while and are suddenly forced to, they tend to get sore and tired easily. So what can people do to counteract this problem and really get into a good fitness routine?
First, any physical therapist, personal trainer, or other fitness professional will work their clients into a regular routine slowly by starting with, for example, a 15 minute walk followed up with a variety of weight lifting exercises that are very simple for the client and plenty of stretching before and after. How does all of this help? Promoting better circulation and the body's ability to metabolize lactic acid, the cause for that burn in our muscles, needs to be top priority to reduce that pain in the days following a good workout. It doesn't matter if our routine is going to be aerobic or anaerobic, our muscles need time to adjust to the increased physical activity or they are going to hurt.
More on lactic acid and anaerobic versus aerobic exercise in the next article, but the main point here is that our muscles need time to adjust to increased physical activity. The best way to do that is to work up to longer and harder workouts after starting slowly. The worst thing people tend to do is jump right into an hour on the treadmill or maxing out on their weight lifting in order to get a starting reference point to see how they have changed once they are in better shape. Remember, going fast may feel good for the first day or two, but going slow will avoid the consequential pain of a hard workout and allow you to exercise more often and fall into a better fitness routine.
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