Hey, what’s up, kids? Welcome back what’s going on? Well, last time we covered accountability, keeping a diary, having a plan, and focusing on the trend and the activity, and, not the daily I screwed up today or the scale or the I haven’t hit my goal.
So today, we’re going to talk about what it means to get started. So many of us, fall into these patterns of not working out, and then we want to get started again. Right. I think one of the biggest things, I don’t know the stats on this, but we want to get right back to the level that we were at before. And a lot of times, it results in bad results, we either injure ourselves or are just so sore, we can’t do it, that sick day, we get sick, which shocked the body. Right? So we want to talk to you guys today a little bit about how to get started. The process of getting started again.
I think the most important thing, initially is just to take it slow. Oh, that’s tough to do. If you were running five miles a clip, and you haven’t done it for six months, you kind of relive your glory days, so to speak, especially when it comes to athletics. Remember when I could run, an eight-minute mile? And remember when I could do this, or I could lift this much weight? And it’s like yeah. Statistics will actually show you this is a bigger issue for men than it is for women. We want to reclaim that glory a little faster.
If you scroll through the list of injuries for people in general, over 50. I just wrote some of them down knee is number one, as you would imagine. Hematomas, bruises that type of stuff. Number two, rib fractures. Number three is really weird, shoulder injuries, ankle injuries. And then obviously, lower back pain would round that out. But all of those things scream of overdoing it. Yeah. And I guarantee you, I mentioned this earlier, you’re 100% older. We know that for a fact you are older today than you were – speak for yourself, buddy. Chances are high, you’ve probably got a few pounds on you that you’re hiding as well. So there are lots of things that could go really wrong starting your plan again.
So I can’t remember if it was Healthline or WebMD but one of them that I was doing the research on. It said if you’re getting started after a prolonged avoidance of exercise, that 50% is kind of the benchmark. If you were doing five miles, and I don’t even want to get into pace. But let’s say you’re running fairly aggressively. Cut the pace down, cut the mileage down. And that should be kind of your benchmark 50%.
We used to talk about heart rate monitoring and running and stuff. Especially in the running area. You can dial that back and go walk. I see, not throwing Heather under the bus. But Heather has been back for after a prolonged period of time. And now she’s screaming about, Oh, I’m so sore. I’m this and this and this. Heather, if you’re watching, it’s okay. We are proud of you that you’re getting back on. Be mad at him Heather. The number one key is to take it slow. Even use a percentage, if you want to go well, this is what I was doing. This is what I’m gonna start doing.
The second thing I think is really listening to your body. Your body is going to tell you if you’re overdoing it or underdoing it, and even listen with headphones. To Kevin’s point where a heart rate monitor, do that kind of thing. I think we’re obligated to say if you’re beyond a certain age or a certain BMI then consult your physician. That’s always important if you’re not sure how to get started. I think listening to your body is really important. Dimitri had me doing some pull-ups, actually, I was just hanging and I had hung there for a while trying to actually be Jerry, and I heard a pop sound come out of my shoulder. I instantly drop down and it was painful. Sidebar. Did do you see they just had the World Championships this weekend? Yeah, how long did they go? The winning female went like eight and a half minutes the winning male went 20 minutes. That’s unbelievable. Anyway, so Demitri took me down and he’s working with me now on strength exercises to strengthen that shoulder again. You’re 10 pounds more, you’re just not the superhuman you were when you were in your 30s. Or 20s for that matter.
So take it slow. Listen to your body. 50% level. The same article referenced that when you do start to ramp up that you should aim for like 10 to 15% increments. Is that after one week? I don’t think a week is enough. Oh, no, I think you should probably go a month at your 50% baseline. Again, listening to the body because that’s the key point. I don’t think a week is enough, especially depending on how far out of the game you are. If you’re six months out of the game, that’s fine. That’s one thing. If you’re six years out of the game, that’s a whole nother ball of wax. 50% is irrelevant at that point. Right. Just start walking.
I guess my final thought to kind of wrap up is I think that the main thing that knocks people off when they’re trying to get back to it and trying to improve their health and lifestyle is they end up getting injured, and it derails them. It’s a whole thing. It knocks that motivation straight to the floor. You were up here. That’s why you’re overachieving and now you can’t even function it hurts to get out of bed. Yeah, some injuries prevent you from even sitting upright. Oh, yeah back pain is one of those.
So that’s it, guys. Take it easy and listen to your body. We already talked about having a plan, focusing on the activity levels, but I’m picking up the Jets here on the microphones. If y’all can hear that. It’s actually the tail end of Sun n Fun this week and our building is right across the street from where the big air show happens. So okay, Jerry may edit that out. We’ll have to see. But that’s it guys. We hope you found something valuable here. Questions, comments, concerns, or criticisms email us at Snackcast@yes.fit. Stay moving!
