You are OK though
We are going to set you up with the Dot to Dot approach for success, so this little scenario will not be your reality!
You are READY! So what are you going to do?
Well, remember that un-stretched rubber band?
Your first step is to STRETCH!
It’s not glamorous, but you will be able to keep the momentum going without putting yourself out of commission and it’s a great way to prevent muscle soreness.
It’s something the animal kingdom has figured out a long time ago, so they stretch EVERY DAY and OFTEN!
Warm up
Most importantly, you want to start with an easy warm up. Just to wake up your muscles and get some blood flowing to them before the stretching begins.
But FIRST!
*Please CONSULT your Doctor at any time you have any medical concerns.
Here’s some warm up thoughts:
~ Cross your arms across your chest back and forth while jogging in place for 10-20 seconds. Work your way up to that time if it feels too much.
~ Next up is, jumping jacks for 10-20 seconds. Same thing – work your way up to that time if needed.
~ If you have bad knees, be careful with this one. While kicking your feet back, run in place as if you are trying to kicking your butt for 10-20 seconds.
~ Take this slow, run in place with your knees up for 10-20 seconds.
~ Skier, think cross country skier with their legs opening and closing like scissors and their arms straight moving like scissors too up to their head and then slightly behind their back. Try doing this for 10-20 seconds.
~ Take this slow if you have a tight, bad back. It can feel so good, but go slow until you know your range of movement. You want your arms bent at the elbows and then you are going to move your arms in one direction while you move your feet in the opposition direction. Remember the classic dance the Twist, you are going to try doing this for 10-20 seconds.
So you might be breathing hard now and your muscles should be warmed up and ready for stretch.
Time to stretch
I’m going to give you some stretch suggestions, but if you have areas of your body that are tighter, you can add additional stretches to hit those areas better. Pinterest is a great place to search for ideas. Just start slow and ease into them.
You are going to want to go slow while stretching your muscles and listen to your body. Pushing your body harder and farther than it is ready to go will only hurt you in the end, literally and figuratively. Resist the urge!
Ready! And Stretch!
~ Stand with your legs a little more than shoulder width apart and bend over, reaching your hands down as far as you can go. Maybe just a little bend is all you can go down now, keep at it and you will get farther and farther in time. Hold that position for 10 seconds.
~ While you are down there, stay in the same position and move your hands over to reach towards one foot. Hold that position for 10 seconds. Now move over to the other foot and hold that position for 10 seconds.
~ Stand tall and reach your hands over your head. Reach to one side, as far as you can comfortably go and hold that position for 10 seconds. Next reach to the other side, as far as you can comfortably go and hold that position for 10 seconds.
~ If you have limited range of motion, this stretch might have to wait. Kneel on the floor so you are on your knees. Sit back so your bum is on your feet and then bend forward so essentially your face is sniffing the floor; a soft, clean floor hopefully. Hold that position for 10 seconds.
~ While you are in that position, you want to sit up and lean back over your feet as far as you can comfortably go. Again, do NOT push it and go too far! Hold that position for 10 seconds.
~ Now lay on the soft floor on your back. You want to pull your legs into your chest, fetal position style. You can do one leg at a time and hold for 10 seconds and then both legs for 10 seconds.
~ While you are flat on your back, stretch your legs and arms out so you look like a pencil, a long pencil. Hold that position for 10 seconds.
If . . .
after running through the warm up and stretch you find that you are moving and stretching with great motion and ease, you should be ready to ease into working out.
But if you find you are like that old rubber band, work on just doing the warm up and stretch till you feel comfortable working out without hurting your body.
To sum it up . . .
I know you are excited to look and feel amazing, but going too hard too fast will only have you feeling miserable and not moving!
Here’s a thought, put that rubber band around your wrist as a reminder to get your body stretching and to prevent muscle soreness.
Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS on taking the step to make your body stronger!
PLEASE remember to consult a doctor at ANY time to keep you safe! Also, I am not a personal trainer. These suggestions are general and not meant to be a personalized plan for you and your specific needs.
