Is This The Right Exercise for Me?

Is This The Right Exercise for Me?

Starting a new workout routine or just starting exercise in general can be daunting.

You have to commit yourself to the daily execution of the task. It can be hard juggling the time commitment between work, family, and your social life. I get it, I’m up at 4:15 am to get my workouts in before my family wakes up. But you will find that making that time every day makes you a better person for work, for your family, and for your friends. Most importantly for yourself. 

Now that you’ve started, how do you know if the exercise you’re doing is right for you?

You’ll be sore anytime you start something new, so expect that. That should last 24-48 hours. Anything longer than that you've done too much. Next workout scale it back about 25%. 

Outside of general soreness, your exercise shouldn’t create pain. This can be sharp pain in your hip with squats, elbow pain with pullups, shoulder pain with pushups, etc. 

The gauge I give my patients when we start strengthening is this:

Exercise shouldn’t create pain:

• During your workout

• Immediately after

• Or the following morning

If you answer yes to any of those 3, your body is not ready for the exercise or the weight you picked. This isn’t meant as a “never do that exercise again”--it’s meant to help you understand that exercise is important. Exercise that only benefits you and doesn’t hurt you is even more important. 

Movement in general is great for the human body, but doing something that causes pain is the antithesis of the true intention of exercise. 

Our bodies have to last our entire life. I want mine to be functioning properly when I’m 90 years old and playing with my great grandchildren. 

What do you want for your body?