What Your Body Needs When You’re Ramping Up Activity

Whether you’re getting back into exercise after a set-back, ie injury or illness, increasing your training because you want to feel better/more comfortable in your body or wanting to optimise performance there’s often a moment where motivation kicks in before your body is quite ready, and we at the Loft Clinic often see issues arise at this point.

Government guidelines recommend

at least 30 minutes of activity which raises the heart rate 5 times a week. Depending how active you are already, this can be anything from walking, swimming or intense gym-work.

Physical inactivity makes us more at risk of chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, respiratory illness and obesity. It leads to weakened muscles, poor circulation, reduced bone density, and premature death. Inactivity is also associated with mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Studies show that intense work-outs, even in individuals who are not regularly exercising are safer ie more healthy than not doing exercise.

So, for nearly all of us, the benefits of exercising, significantly outweigh the benefits of rest or not exercising.

However, when it comes to exercise we need two types of discipline- DOING IT and NOT OVERDOING it.

At The Loft Clinic, we regularly support people who’ve gone from doing very little to doing a lot, quite quickly. The intention is always good, but without the right preparation, the body can struggle to keep up. 

Blood supply to ligaments is not as good as blood supply to muscles. So your muscles will get stronger relatively quickly as you exercise, putting more force through joint capsules/ligaments/tendons which will take longer to react/get stronger. 

The result is often injury ie niggles, stiffness, or even sprains, tendonopathy, reduced movement or performance.

The good news is that a few simple things can make a significant difference to how your body responds when activity increases.

Start slowly.

When you begin set your targets low - probably lower than you're thinking as you read this!

Don't think about what you've done before or what you think you SHOULD be doing.

You will get to where you want to be by progressing incrementally, ie starting at a low level and increasing the intensity or duration of what you're doing at every session.

In this way we are stimulating the body’s regenerative processes.

We don't get fitter/stronger while we're exercising, this is done by the body between sessions as it prepares for the increased workload at the next session.

Once we get going we can start to feel a surge of extra energy and motivation as we stimulate neuromuscular pathways and convert cortisol (related to stimulation and stress) into endorphins, dopamine and serotonin (“happy hormones”) and at this point we can carry on and do too much.

The problem with this is that we can push too far ahead, risking injury and this over-enthusiasm actually makes it less likely that we will continue our steady progress in the future.

We need the discipline to leave ourselves wanting more rather than leaving ourselves depleted.

Before looking at what you’re doing, it’s also worth looking at what’s supporting it.

Sleep is where your body repairs and adapts. Without enough of it, recovery slows and tissues become more vulnerable to strain.

Training hard without appropriate sleep will leave us depleted and will actually make us weaker as well as injury-prone and more vulnerable to viruses (“training viruses”)

Hydration plays a key role in how muscles and joints function. Even mild dehydration can increase stiffness and reduce your body’s ability to perform well.

And rest is part of the process, not something to earn. Your body needs time to absorb the work you’re doing.

“Active recovery” including mobilising - ie gentle stretching and movement variety is extremely important as a resting activity.

Warm up properly

Warming-up becomes more and more important as we go through life. It's not the most pleasant part of a work-out but without getting properly warmed-up we won't be comfortable and we won't be able to progress With our main activity.

For a lot of people a good sign of being warmed-up is when we start to sweat (although individual can be very different in this regard)

A warm-up is more than a quick stretch before you begin. It’s your opportunity to prepare your body for what you’re about to ask of it.

A good warm-up increases blood flow, improves joint mobility and helps your nervous system switch on. This allows your body to move more efficiently and reduces the risk of strain.

Think controlled, dynamic movements that reflect the activity you’re about to do. If you’re running, include hips and ankles. If you’re lifting, include activation work for the areas you’ll be using.

Pay attention to common weak points

When activity increases, certain areas often need a little more attention than people realise. For example, it may be your hips or ankles (both are easy to overlook), but when mobility is limited in these parts of the body, it compensate elsewhere.

At The Loft Clinic, we often find it’s not just the area causing pain that needs support, but the surrounding areas that may not be moving or functioning as well as they could. A small amount of targeted mobility work in these areas can make a real difference.

Build gradually

A common causes of injury is doing too much, too soon. It’s tempting to jump straight back into what you used to do, but your body needs time to adapt. 

Increasing intensity, duration or frequency too quickly can put a lot of stress on your muscles and joints, whereas a  more gradual approach allows your body to adjust, build strength and improve mobility in a way that lasts.

Use hands-on support as part of your routine

Support doesn’t have to wait until something goes wrong.

At The Loft Clinic, chiropractic care and osteopathy are used to support how your body moves and functions as a whole; which can help restore mobility, reduce tension and improve how different parts of the body work together.

Alongside this, therapies such as massage and acupuncture can support recovery, ease muscular tightness and help your body stay balanced as demands increase.

Taking a proactive approach often means fewer setbacks and a smoother experience overall.

Increasing your activity can feel really positive.

When you focus on strong foundations, proper preparation, gradual progression and ongoing support, you give yourself the best chance of staying consistent and injury-free.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can explore the therapies we offer at the clinic here, or get in touch and we’ll help you find the right approach for your body.