It is difficult to return to regular sporting activity after a long period of inactivity. However, it is beneficial for your health and for getting back in shape. Discover our tips to regain the desire and help you get back into sport.
The health benefits of sport
Returning to activity can maintain and improve your health. Resumption of regular physical activity helps prevent various chronic diseases, improve your lifestyle and the general well-being of your body .
Regular physical activity can help prevent osteoporosis and injuries. Physical activities also reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Research has shown that active people have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which may therefore reduce cardiovascular risk.
Physical activity helps reduce blood insulin levels, which helps prevent diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Research also suggests that exercise may help prevent certain types of cancer, including breast cancer in post-menopausal women and colorectal cancer in men.
Returning to sports activity can also help improve your overall well-being by strengthening your bones and muscles, helping to stabilize your body weight and improving your muscular capabilities. Exercising can strengthen your immune system and reduce the risk of contracting infections such as colds or flu.
Getting back into physical activity is also an excellent way to relax; it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which helps calm the effects of stress by releasing hormones such as serotonin and endorphin. Finally, returning to a sporting activity can be a way to improve your sleep by helping you sleep more soundly.
Doctors recommend exercising at least 150 minutes per week of moderate sports activities or 75 minutes per week of vigorous sports activities.
Each 30-minute session should include a warm-up and stretching. For those who are not used to playing sports or who suffer from chronic health problems, it is advisable to consult a professional or sports coach before starting an exercise routine.
Resumption of physical activity is essential to maintain a body in good shape. You need to find an activity that suits you to increase your motivation to stay active for months or years. Sport is not limited to people who want to lose weight or get a more toned body; This is important for everyone, it provides health benefits to your body.
How to motivate yourself to return to sport?
Motivation is one of the main elements to take into account when returning to sport. Here are our tips for finding the motivation to do sport.
- Set specific and realistic goals
Setting a goal gives you something to aim for and a clear vision of where you are going and what you want to achieve through returning to sport. The goals can be short or long term: lose weight, improve your physical or mental fitness, increase your strength, etc.
- Define an action plan to achieve your goal
You can set a daily sports routine, set a schedule and make a list of sports you want to do each day.
- Resumption of sport together
It is advisable to surround yourself with people who have the same expectations as you. Indeed, these will be a constant source of support to help you move forward. Find partners in your sports club or sports groups. They can offer you advice on returning to sport and encourage you in your progress.
- Celebrate your exploits
Once you achieve a goal, like running 5 miles or doing 20 push-ups in a row, reward yourself. It's a way to keep your morale and motivation throughout the journey. Congratulate yourself by purchasing something that symbolizes your success or by sharing your success with family and friends.
- Stay focused on progress
Find a way to stay focused on progress as the days and months pass. For this, there are several tools that can help you monitor the progress of your physical condition or compare the results obtained to those expected.
For example, mobile applications make it possible to record data relating to physical activities such as distance covered, duration of exercise and calories burned in order to measure progress made over days and months.
- Find the sport that makes you happy so you don't get bored too quickly
Explore different types of sports to find the one that suits you best. Participate in local competitions to test your endurance and benefit from the learning that comes with returning to sport. A sport that generates lasting interest is essential if you want to stay motivated and maintain progress.
To help you in your approach, ask for advice from a sports coach and/or your doctor who will support you in your approach.
Tips for getting back into sport
If you want to return to sport gently after a period of interruption following a pregnancy, an accident, or otherwise, the resumption must be done gently and safely for your body to prevent the risk of injury and pain. It is recommended to assess your abilities, choose the right physical activity and ensure you adopt the right exercise techniques.
Before returning to the field or to the gym, you must take stock of your level to know your pace and your limits: your maximum heart rate, your muscular strength, your endurance, your flexibility.
We then define a training plan and choose a sporting activity. It is essential that the activity is best adapted to your age, your condition and your objective.
- To lose weight , cardio sport: treadmill, running, cycling.
- For endurance: swimming, cross-country skiing.
- To build muscle and gain mass: go to the gym/sports clubs for bodybuilding sessions, muscle strengthening.
Warm up the entire body before each session. Dynamic stretching prepares your body for exercise by gradually increasing blood circulation and improving the flexibility of joints and muscles.
Then start your session. Adjust the time spent on each type of exercise to work each body part and muscle group during your sessions. Work your entire body to improve your sporting performance and results.
To improve the effectiveness of your physical effort, adjust the number of your sessions per week , the frequency of training sessions and the recovery time to allow your body to recover sufficiently between sessions and be able to fully replenish itself. before each new session.
You can add a stretching session: stretches to maintain or improve flexibility and joint-muscular flexibility.
Finally, a balanced diet is important to provide the body with the hydration and nutrients it needs to recover after each session and stay in good shape.
- A diet rich in protein repairs muscle damaged during exercise and helps provide the energy the body needs to maintain an optimal level of physical activity.
- Carbohydrates to give the body the energy it needs and perform intense exercises over a long period of time without feeling your muscles fatigue too quickly.
We have protein snacks and meals to accompany a sports session.
You can seek help from a nutrition professional to tailor your diet to your needs.
In summary.
Getting back into sport is an excellent decision to stay in shape and regain good health all year round or to help with weight loss. The recovery should not be done too quickly in order to avoid injuries.
To resume a training program, you can ask for the help of a coach who will offer you a suitable sports recovery program. Once the exercise program is tailored to your needs, you will quickly see the benefits for your health and well-being. We recommend that you also seek advice from your doctor if you have any questions regarding your needs.
