Make time for recovery
You’re going to be sore both duringand after those first few workouts – sore in parts of your body you forgot existed. That's not necessarily a bad thing,as there's some truth to the old saying"no pain,no gain".
"If you avoid any discomfort whatsoever,you're not challenging your body to adapt,"says Gardner,adding that there's a fine line between good pain that's a sign of growth and bad pain."For me,'bad sore'means it's impacting on your ability to do what you need to do during the day."
See a healthcare professional if you're troubled by sharp or persistent niggles,and take time to recover between workouts to lower your risk of injury. A busted knee or shoulder is not how you want to finish 2020.
Rediscover what works for you
Before the pandemic (remember that?),the lunchtime classes at my gym were usually pretty quiet – but now they’re some of the busiest,because members who live nearby are working from home. Take advantage of the new world order to build a fitness schedule that suits your workday. A colleague has swapped her hour-long commute to the office with a daily walk,a habit she intends to keep in our work-from-home future.
If you used to have to force yourself to get to the gym,consider finding a new way to exercise:consult an exercise physiologist or personal trainer for advice,join a group fitness club or an outdoor-training group,swim some laps in the pool,try bodyweight training.
Don’t forget:the pandemic hasn’t ended
Just because you’re back in the gym doesn’t mean the world has gone back to normal. Exercise etiquette is now more important than ever:doing dumbbell curls in someone else’s personal space or not wiping your sweat off a bench was rude before the pandemic,and now it’s potentially dangerous.
And don’t expect the gym to be exactly how you remember. It’s likely you’ll struggle to find a place in your favourite group fitness class,because the number of people permitted to attend is capped. You might be made to disinfect every single thing you touch,or queue to enter the gym while everyone has their temperatures checked,or even wear a mask. Some of your go-to equipment won’t be available anymore because it’s not sanitary. These changes are annoying – but they’re annoying for gym workers too,so don’t take your frustration out on them.
Go easy on yourself
This is the most important thing. Don’t be discouraged if it takes a long time to get back to where you were,and resist the urge to work out for hours every day to"catch up"on lost workouts.
"Punishing yourself at the gym is not a healthy response,"says Gardner,suggesting a different way of looking at the end of lockdown:"We've been afforded the opportunity to start looking after ourselves again with[exercise] we enjoy."(He's personally excited to venture beyond his 5km bubble to resume cycling in the Dandenongs,and kite surfing.)
If you don’t even feel ready to start exercising again yet,that’s fine too. 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year,and none of us need the added pressure of shedding"COVID kilos."
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