Happy 2023 everyone! With the new year already in full swing, it’s time to make new fitness goals and reassess previous ones. What will your fitness goal be this year? When creating new goals, it is important to have one overall, big goal to work toward while still having specific, small, and attainable goals to meet along the way to avoid burn out. This helps to hold yourself accountable and reduce the chances of feeling overwhelmed by your one big goal, which may feel far out of reach at this point in the process. On the other hand, maintaining safety while exercising is another topic to consider when beginning striving toward your goal. Many of us (myself included), have become a little deconditioned over the holidays and in my case, one too many cookies. But now is the time to get back on track! With deconditioning, is it important to be honest with yourself and set realistic goals based on your current abilities and not previous ones to avoid injury. But don’t worry, you know where to find great Physical Therapists if you need a little help along the way.
Meeting Strength Training Goals:
This is an area that I hope to improve within myself this year. When beginning strength training, it is important to start with low weight, low impact and simple movements. Then, slowly increase weight, impact and exercise program over time. Always remember, you need proximal stability to attain distal mobility.
Getting that first strength workout out of the way can be challenging as aches and pains can arise. With strength training, sharp, stabbing pain during exercise is a sign that you have a mechanical dysfunction, injury or are over training, while soreness and fatigue during the activity is an expected and appropriate response to exercise. DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness is something you probably have encountered if you are not new to exercise and if you are new to exercise, something you will likely encounter at some point. This is often felt more acutely when starting a new strength training program or resuming after a period of inactivity. For more information about DOMS read our post about it, click here. With a properly designed training plan this will also lesson over time with each subsequent workout.
After you set your goal, reflecting on your progress of weekly or monthly goals is important so that you can make necessary modifications or updates. If you are not meeting your smaller goals, find your barriers and adjust and if you are keep up the great work and keep pushing on! You have the goal in mind, now get out there and be a goal getter!