Whenever we begin a new health kick, we can feel a mixture of true excitement and no small amount of fear. After all, we know that this is ultimately a healthy life choice we are embarking on, but also that starting a new training regimen can, for lack of a better word, really suck.
Changing up our daily routine and getting our bodies adapted to the training can be tiresome, and can be quite painful in some circumstances. If you’ve not worked out for some time, the idea of going for a run can be quite difficult to think of. Make sure you have your exercise clothes ready!
However, there’s no reason why this should be some horrible duty metered out. Remember, settling into a new cardio routine without worry needn’t be some kind of sacred event that can only occur when the planets are aligned in just the right way. Instead, it just takes a few careful self-care techniques, the ability to pace yourself, and listening to your body.
Settling Into A New Cardio Routine Without Worry
This can all seem rather oversimplified, so let us go into more detail in the following advice below. We only hope it can help:
Take It Easy
You can’t expect to head to the local track or gym and bust out ten sprints or run three miles in the space of one session. You can try of course, but you won’t get very far.
You’re welcome to test that theory but be sure to care for yourself if you do. However, does this mean you will not be able to reach that goal? Of course, you can reach it. But you need to take it easy, to begin with, and let your body get used to training in that manner.
This can help anyone feel more secure in themselves and more active within their approach. To illustrate this, consider the following example.
When you are starting a new workout regimen, you are usually quite nervous about how it will go. You wonder if your form will be correct if you have the right workout clothes or equipment if you know what you are doing or how lethargic you might feel in the morning.
However, instead of running until you’re tired, you might use a program such as Couch 2 5k to keep yourself on the right path.
Programs like this supplement running with walking, allowing you to catch your breath in an untrained state. Then, you slowly ramp it up. Before long you’re hitting that 5k with all your might. This, in turn, allows you to:
Learning To Rest, Recover & Avoid Injury
When we think about becoming fit and healthy, we often think of the hard work we put in at the gym, or when running along a trail.
This is a good idea of course because none of us would get fit and healthy without exercise. Exercise is a human need, in fact, it’s less external than that, it’s the very makeup of who we are. This fascinating TED Talk titled ‘Born To Run’ helps illustrate this with care.
It means learning how to work with your body, how to feed it with the right nutrients, how to get enough sleep, and also care for your sore muscles. Ice baths are a favorite method of those who practice professional cardio, but cold showers can also be worthwhile to help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness.
Additionally, supplements such as DLPA are a natural painkiller, and whey protein isolate can ensure you have enough fuel to rebuild your muscles on a cellular level.
Sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things to consider. It is vital. Most people, and that’s the vast majority of people need eight hours a night.
Ensure you get this, sometimes more if you train hard. Settling into a new cardio routine without worry means keeping your mental health managed first, and without sleep, that is impossible.
Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
So you had a rough workout where nothing went right. You felt tired when beginning, you felt even worse when you had to stop, and then you walked home feeling dejected. Don’t worry.
Even the fittest person in the world has their own rough days What matters is not achieving everything today, but the spirit to come back tomorrow, or the next session, and try again.
This is the attitude you need to build. It will help you see small issues as temporary setbacks, not full failures. With this advice, you’re certain to settle into a cardio routine without much in the way of worry.