Returning to sports, exercise, or any type of movement after taking a long break or due to an injury that you took some time off to heal is difficult for anyone. Due to the pandemic, your break from activities may have been longer than you would have hoped for. Keep these tips in mind as you get back into your routine of exercise and movement.
To avoid ending up with an injury or re-injury, here are some things to consider when getting back into the activities you enjoy doing:
1. Start slow. There is nothing wrong with starting slow especially if you were on a break for an extended period of time.
Your muscles may not be as strong or as flexible and your joint might not have as good of mobility as they were prior to your break from movement. You might have the motor memory of how to do the activity, but, your muscles and your body might not be completely ready to perform at the level that you performed before. It is again important to slowly increase the load, intensity and duration of your activities.
Letting go of the “all or nothing mindset” is really important when returning to your activities. This can be hard because we are in a culture if you aren’t performing at 110%, then you must not be doing enough. Work on accepting how your body is in this moment and it will make returning back to exercise or movement a lot easier. This might be a big request and if you accept your body, you will be more likely to stay motivated and stick with the activity.
I took a long break from playing tennis when I got pregnant. My son was born via C-section and so I needed to wait even longer to return to my previous level of activity. I slowly progressed starting with daily walks, adding back in my strengthening routine, and then was ready to get back on the court five months post C-section. Allowing myself to slowly recover and gain strength before walking onto the tennis court made a difference for me to actually play.
When I was ready to get on the court, I slowly built up my tolerance to being on the tennis court. The first session back on the tennis court, I played only 10 minutes long and I did not even play the full court. I allowed myself to rest the next day and assess how I was feeling. I slowly increased my duration and intensity on the tennis court, being sure to take a break every other day. Pain or soreness may not show up until the next day, so it is important to plan rest days to be able to assess how you are feeling.
Even if you feel good the next day, you should still take the day off to rest and recover. After resting, you can go back to the activity and slowly increase the load.
Again, it is important to keep in mind that you do not have to be at the level of performance you had prior to the break. Your body needs to adjust to the movement again so just take it one step at a time.
2. Create a plan for returning to your previous exercise. Plan when you will rest and plan when you will increase the intensity of your workout. When you have a plan, you are more likely to not push yourself too hard when returning to your activities. Having no plan is how you can get caught up to the “all or nothing” mindset again.
3. Find someone to hold you accountable to help you slowly progress into your activities. A physical therapist or a fitness professional can help you come back from an injury through creating a plan with you. They can hold you accountable so that you do not go overboard increasing the load so much that your body will not feel great at all.
If you need help with a plan, you can reach out to me for a Physical Therapy consult. Click here to send me an email.
You only have one body, and it is important you take your time getting to know your body’s needs. When coming back from a break or injury, remember, go slow. Your body will thank you and you will be able to continue doing the activities you love doing!