Exercise For The Out-of-Shape and How To Prevent Injury

If you haven't exercised in over a year, or have a really  hard time doing it without hurting yourself, you might want to hear this.

Some people recommend Yoga for healing.  I can see why, it has helped me a lot to recover from a really hard run. BUUUT, it is NOT for anyone, not even me.  There has been many recorded injuries even among instructors. If you choose to do Yoga, then be sure not to push yourself, see how impressively strong or flexible you are.  If you need some recovery stretches, keep checking this blog and I will be  posting some very effective stretches.

Whenever starting exercise, start out doing a little bit more than usual.  I don't consider myself completely out of shape, but when I spent the day at Sea World, I was sore.  I had to do some recovery stretches even.

If you dive into exercise too hard, your at risk of injury, fatigue, and frustration.  This is why some  people have decidedly been non-athletic and believe their bodies are just not made for it.

Not so.  However, it is true that the more overweight  you are the more likelihood exercise will be painful or cause injury.  Please be careful! BUT NO EXCUSES!.  The general rule of thumb is to exercise 30 min at least 3 times a week.  But if this is too much, start out smaller.

Here is a great workout you can do.  Get a hold of some swimming weights that  you wrap around your waste and then run. Here is a good video of how to do it.  It is SO good for your joints and can give you a relatively pain-free workout.  The only drawback is that I have yet to find an indoor pool in Texas.  That means that summer is really the only time for this.  I suppose if you had a deep hot tub, you could run in small circles! Hey, anything to keep your body healthy!

 When you do exercise try something like bike riding or swimming. The elliptical is good too.  Just getting out and going for a brisk walk is good do.  I would not try to  push yourself too much, unless you feel like your body can take it. Eventually, you should be able to get to the point where you can push yourself a little harder progressively.

If you are having a hard time losing weight, exercise is key.  Don't reward yourself with food for getting out there and exercising.  It's tempting, but mostly likely causing you to regress in your goals. Instead, reward yourself by doing something relaxing.  Personally, I feel the best reward is how I feel, and I love feeling like I can keep up with life.

To prevent injury


- Stretch before and after exercise
- Start out light
- Do non-pressure exercises (swimming, running in pool, bike, elliptical)
- Ice after

If  you are serious about losing weight/inches, find a way to exercise. You deserve to feel your best and that is simply not possible without exercising, even a little.