Q. My New Year’s resolution is to get back in shape but every time I get started, I feel like I hurt my shoulder or other parts of my body. How can I avoid this?
A. There’s no question exercise provides numerous benefits. But suffering a setback after being highly motivated can feel like you’ve lost all the ground you gained. Follow these few simple tips to keep your progress moving forward and avoid bumps in the road:
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- Take time to warm up your body before starting your workout. Avoid early strains with a 10-15-minute warm-up. Gentle stretching helps warm the joints and increase flexibility and doing reps with lighter weights loosens your body.
- Slowly raise the intensity of your workouts over time and stay within your comfort level. Long-term improvement and maintenance is the key to reaching your fitness goals!
- Pay attention to pain, your best guide for knowing when to stop a particular exercise. If needed, a good trainer can help modify your workout to keep you on track and safe.
- Finally, if injuries do occur, our Mount Sinai Orthopedics Group in Scarsdale has specialists in every area of orthopedics and are ready to help!
Bradford Parsons, MD
Mount Sinai Orthopedics
341 Central Park Ave
Scarsdale
212.241.0025
www.mountsinai.org/orthopedics
