Spring back into action!

Spring is upon us and with it comes the beginning of longer days and warmer weather. It’s a great time to start moving your body again if you’ve been hibernating over winter.

There are numerous activities that can get you moving out in the inviting weather, from a long run, to a walk on the beach, or even just tending to your garden and getting the veggie patch ready for planting. Here at Hoppers Physio in Melbourne’s west, we are all about helping people to get the most out of their body through movement and exercise so here are our top tips for getting back into action if you’ve had a slow and cosy winter:

1. Look after your back:

Being out in the garden weeding and shovelling is great for the veggies but can place some undue stress on your lower back and discs that you may not be used to. Positions involving a lot of twisting and bending at the waist, coupled with some digging, pulling and lifting that you may not have done for a while can have you pulling up a bit sore if you aren’t careful. Disc injury can be particularly difficult to heal from and can greatly impact upon your overall sense of health and well being, so try to maintain good posture while you go about your pruning. Hands on treatment and advice about strengthening exercises from one of our experienced physiotherapists could be a good idea for you if you are getting back into the garden (and exercise in general!) after an injury, or have pulled up a bit stiff after overdoing it a little. 

2. Remember your warm up:

It can be tempting to ‘go hard or go home’ when returning to exercise after a period of time off, but invariably that approach leads to regret the next day. Just because you could run 10kms last year doesn’t mean you should aim for that now if you haven’t been putting in the time to train over the last few months. Avoid injuring yourself by paying attention to warming up properly and allowing your body the time it needs to get back into the swing of things. Walking or jogging on the treadmill for a while, doing some salutes to the sun or similar yoga moves that wake up your whole body, or having a dance party in your living room are all good ways to get your blood flowing before giving your body a more strenuous workout. 

3. Refuel and stay hydrated:

If you’ve decided it’s time to get fit and start moving more, it’s also a good idea to take stock of your diet and observe your water intake. Making healthy choices on a daily basis will help give you the energy needed for a bit more spring in your step and, good news, every little bit counts! If you’ve been wanting to eat a little healthier, spring is a fabulous time to get started as all of those delicious fruits and veggies are starting to come back into season. Adding an extra glass of water into your day can be a gentle start to getting a bit more hydrated if you are someone who finds keeping your water up a little challenging. Good hydration will help with your post workout recovery by encouraging lymphatic drainage and helping you avoid the ache that comes with lactic acid build up. As was mentioned earlier, the ‘go hard or go home’ approach isn’t necessarily the best for your body, so there’s no need for crash dieting or or an all or nothing kind of outlook. 
Enjoy getting out and about this spring and let us know what kind of exercise you’re loving. We’re always here to help if you need some advice or a treatment, why not call today on (03) 9749 5110 for an appointment.