Getting Into Spring Shape
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This past weekend, I went on my first outdoor ride of the season and while it was awesome to be back on the roads, it also showcased a few areas of weakness that I need to work on for the coming season.
Honestly, I feel like no matter where you are at in your fitness journey, spring is the time where people start focusing on dusting off those running shoes or bike helmets to enjoy the newly warm temperatures. Here are a few things that have helped me as I focus on getting in top shape for 2018.
Get the right gear.
Before you start anything, you need to make sure that you have the right gear for the job. Running in the wrong shoes could damage your ankles or soles, for example, and you can check out adding insoles like Biopods that support your feet during prolonged periods of exercise.
Don’t want to workout in a public space? Workout in your own home. You could have a yoga mat beside your bed to encourage you to do a workout first thing in the morning. I like to do 10 reps of something as soon as I get out of bed in the morning.
Get some dumbbells that you can use when you are waiting for your coffee to brew in the morning. Small things add up!
Don’t dive right in.
Injuries are the worst so if you’ve never really worked out before then you shouldn’t jump into a new exercise routine at full-throttle. If you push your body too hard, you risk injury and putting yourself out of action in the first couple weeks is certainly NOT going to be any use to your fitness regime. It’s important that you take gradual steps towards your goals. If you are new to running, start off by jogging for 10 minutes a day during the first week, 15 minutes a day during the following week, and so on. It’s all about taking baby steps. Remember that a warm-up is essential too. You increase the body temperature, send blood flowing to the muscles, and get your body in gear for the physical activity. You don’t want to put stress on your heart, tendon and ligaments.
Cardio and resistance training are equally crucial.
If you want to improve your overall physical and mental health then you need to ensure your training program includes both cardio and resistance training. In other words, you need to ensure that you’re completing aerobic exercises to improve the health of your heart and strength-training exercises to improve your muscles. Getting in shape is about finding the balance between many different exercises. Going on a run is good for your cardiovascular fitness, but it doesn’t strengthen your explosive muscles. Find some time to do some squats, push-ups, and abdominal crunches.
Happy training!
