Things An Overweight Person Should Look Out For When Exercising
Things An Overweight Person Should Look Out For When Exercising
Having a regular exercise routine is necessary for everyone, and its importance increases if you are overweight. Being overweight means that more pressure is placed on weight-bearing joints in your body such as your knees, hips, and back. Prolonged pressure on your joints causes faster wear and tear of these joints. Additionally, excess body weight can result in inflammation of the structures surrounding your joints, leading to ailments such as tendinitis or bursitis.
Incorporating a regular exercise regimen into your lifestyle can help to improve the physical functionality of your body. And while exercising may not result in an immediate loss of weight, it has many health benefits including reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and less strain placed on your joints.
Things To Pay Attention To When You Begin Exercising
If you are not used to regular physical activity, embarking on a new exercise program might lead to injuries if you are not careful. Here are some common things to take note of when you first begin exercising:
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), usually occurs about 24 hours following a workout. While some muscle soreness is normal, joint soreness is not. If you experience pain in your knees, ankles, shoulders, back, or neck, you should consider a visit to your physician.
If you experience prolonged pain that does not subside after a few days following a workout, you should consult with your physician. This is important to ascertain if you have sustained an injury and whether you should continue exercising.
Do not engage in the same repeated workouts, this prevents prolonged stresses placed on one particular part of your body. You should alternate exercises to ensure that you are uniformly strengthening your body.
Type of Exercises To Do
In order to avoid placing further undue stress on your joints, it might be prudent to ease yourself into an exercise routine if you are overweight. Here are some safe and effective exercises you might choose to begin with:
Walking - This is a low impact exercise that helps increase your strength. You can begin by walking at your regular pace for 10 minutes a day and gradually increasing both the time spent walking and your pace - depending on your comfort levels and physical ability.
Strength training - Following guided weight training routines (either as recommended by your physician or a physical trainer) can help to strengthen your muscles and joints as well as increase your range of motion. However, care should be taken to follow professional advice before lifting weights to ensure it is done correctly. In order to avoid overexertion, you should begin with lighter weights and increase the intensity as your strength increases.
Cycling - This is a good way of keeping active without placing too much strain on your joints. In order to prevent any injuries, you should ease yourself into a biking routine, beginning with 15 minutes each time on even terrain and gradually increasing both the time and intensity, to the limits your body permits.
If you are overweight, to reduce the risk of developing joint problems, you can also modify your dietary habits to ensure you are maintaining a balanced diet. This includes replacing unhealthy options such as fried or processed food items with healthier alternatives.
Before embarking on any exercise regimens, remember to consult with your physician. In order to avoid injuries, always listen to your body to avoid overexerting yourself.