For many Australians, much of 2020 and 2021 was spent inside our homes due to extended periods of lockdown. And while many of us might have intended to keep to a consistent fitness routine, a combination of cold weather, work-from-home arrangements and ‘lockdown fatigue’ have resulted in more time being spent on the couch.
Now that spring is here and we’re seeing an ease in lockdown restrictions, we may feel more inclined to ramp up our physical activity. And while this is a great feeling – it’s important to remember that your body may be out of condition and doing too much too soon could result in injury, setting your fitness goals back even further.
This is why we have put together 6 important and easy-to-implement strategies to help you spring back into fitness safely.
1. Ease into exercise
No matter where you are on your fitness journey, if you’ve taken a long break and haven’t been exercising on a regular basis, going from zero to hero overnight may put you at risk of injury. Ease into it to avoid muscular aches and pains and reduce the strain on your joints. For more tips about getting back into the gym, a pre-workout routine or stretching, take a look at our other blogs!
2. Keep it consistent
Health professionals recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days. Something as simple as walking for at least 30 minutes can improve your fitness and as you feel the benefits, give you the motivation to do more.
3. Get creative with incidental exercise
Now that the weather is warming up, it’s a great opportunity to keep your body moving by increasing your incidental exercise. Leave the car at home and walk to the train station or bus stop. Avoid the lift and take the stairs. If you’re working from home, set a timer on your desk and take a break every 30 minutes or so to walk around the house or garden, stretch your muscles – even catch a quick online workout. You’ll be surprised how much exercise you can fit into one day without even noticing!
4. Practice active recovery
While consistency is key to springing back into your fitness routines, you don’t need to go all out and train hard every day. Your body needs rest and recovery time to perform at its best. But even on your ‘rest’ days, it’s important to move your body in some way. This process of ‘active recovery’ can reduce soreness and speed up the muscle-rebuilding process. Choose an activity that you enjoy doing such as walking, dancing, yoga, swimming or playing sport as your active recovery session to keep your muscles supple and your exercise momentum going.
5. Sore muscles? Keep cool and carry on
Oftentimes, a return to exercise after a long break may lead to sore muscles. Don’t let this discourage you! When muscle soreness arises, cold therapy can be used to decrease blood flow to the site of the injury, reducing pain and inflammation.
Our ICE range, designed for injury management and muscle recovery, provides cooling pain relief – perfect for the spring and summer time!
If you’re looking for fast, effective and immediate cooling pain relief, opt for our ICE Spray. Our mess-free formula is a sports bag essential and is designed to freeze pain instantly when sports injuries, sprains and strains strike.
If you’re after rapid, sustained cooling pain relief, try ICE Patches. Our thin, flexible patches are a great solution for on-the-go injury management and muscle recovery for targeted and stubborn pain points.
6. Reward yourself with a magnesium bath
One of the many benefits of Magnesium is that it works as a muscle relaxant to relieve tight, aching and overworked muscles. Take a relaxing bath with our Magnesium ICE Salts after exercise and intense activity to relieve muscular soreness, optimise muscle recovery and restore movement. Magnesium also calms the body’s nervous system and promotes a restful night’s sleep, so you’ll wake up feeling refreshed and ready to spring back into action.
Our ICE range is a must-have while your body adapts to getting back in the game. Grab one of our ICE products today at Woolworths, Coles, Chemist Warehouse and other leading Pharmacies.
Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.
- https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-setting-yourself-goals
- https://www.healthline.com/health/how-many-steps-a-day#How-many-steps-should-you-take-a-day
- https://28bysamwood.com/blog/fitness/importance-of-active-recovery/
- https://www.bodysmart.com.au/health-tips/tight-and-sore-maybe-you-are-deficient-in-magnesium/
