Get started. Stay active. Enjoy life.
At Hudson Physicians, we want to help you be your healthy best. With exercise, you can build strength, increase energy and reduce stress. One way to do that is to commit to an exercise plan. Many people have trouble sticking with an exercise program, but to ensure success, make it part of your daily routine with these helpful tips.
Exercise is extremely important to prevent heart disease and many other chronic conditions, and it can be effective in helping you manage your weight.
Getting Started
Make your health and wellness a priority and find the time for yourself:
- Keep it simple
- Walking just 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can increase your lifespan
- Set short-term goals and upgrade your goals as you progress
Equipment
Recommendations from our very own Sports & Spine Medicine Provider, Dr. Lincoln Likness:
- Invest in a good pair of cross training or running shoes.
- Running shoes typically wear out after 300-500 miles and once they start to break down, it can lead to injury.
When working out at a gym isn’t an option due to time, money, location, etc. invest in items to keep around your house:
- Hand-weights
- Jump ropes
- Resistance exercise bands
- Workout DVD's
Training Basics
- Meet with your provider before starting a workout routine or training program.
- Follow a certified or proven training plan before training, especially for races and fitness challenges.
- Don’t make training errors such as always running the same direction on the same road – repeated running on the same the slope of the road can cause injury as can training too hard, too fast.
For athletes, offseason training is almost more important than in-season training. Offseason is when most of the successful gains are made in your activity. It's also the time to improve your conditioning and work on injury prevention. One good example shared by Dr. Likness would be young female athletes improving their odds of avoiding an ACL tear by participating in an ACL Prevention Program or Jump Training. Girls have three times more ACL tears than boys and these types of programs bring that risk down.
Heat/Cold Awareness and Precautions
- Learn the signs your body gives you when you are too hot, cold, fatigued, etc.
- If you experience dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion or nausea, or if you stop sweating, it is time to stop and recover.
- Prior to training, drink 8-16 oz. of water and try to drink the same every 15-30 minutes of activity.
- If you are participating in the activity longer than one hour, add a sports drink that contains sugar (carbs) and electrolytes to (sodium is lost in sweat).
Keeping it Fresh
- Try new things such as paddle boarding or cycling. (Prior to participating in something new, seek guidance from a coach or physician knowledgeable in the chosen sport for proper advice.)
- Involve your kids or friends who need a little inspiration. Remember to have fun! If it's fun, you will do it for a lifetime.
Important facts about exercise:
- Improves sleep
- Helps lose weight
- Improves bone density
- Reverses age-related loss of brain tissue
- Decreases your risk of heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer and other diseases
- Reduces the risk of catching a cold
- Minimizes symptoms of mild to moderate depression