Understanding The “Knows” Before You “Go”

The Olympic Games inspire millions of people and cutlures around the world. This in turn inspires thousands of people, especially youth, to get up and get moving. As a fitness professional, the Olympics are a godsend to encourage the sedentary to get active; however, there are some “must-knows” before you “get up and go”.

• Avoid pushing your body to the Olympic-limit when you commence exercise. If you are sedentary, the body will experience much physiological changes, which it needs to start slow in order to adapt to movement. Starting off too fast too soon increases the chance for overuse injury and burnout. Remember adherence to an exercise routine is marathon, not a sprint.

• Olympic athletes are not on a diet. Nutrition is a complex science of molecular biology, chemistry and other understandings from science that fuels the body on a cellular level. Typically, the more active the individual, the higher the caloric, carbohydrate, nutrient and water intake. Weightloss nutrition is on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to sports nutrition.

• When working out, it is recommended to keep an adequate fluid intake before, during and after exercise. The American Council of Sports Medicine recommends to drink 8-12 ounces of water 15 minutes before exercise, drink 3-8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes during exercise (if less than 60 minutes) or 3-8 ounces of a sport beverage every 15-20 minutes if exercises over 60 minutes and drink 20-24 ounces of water or a sport beverage for every one pound of body lost.

   

• We are limited with our work and family commitments. However, as it is still summer, it is not advisable to commence an exercise routine during extreme hot parts of the day. If possible, choose earlier morning or evening to beat the heat and avoid heat exhaustion or dehydration.

These are a few of the important guidelines to follow when starting an exercise regimen. Personally, I am excited to see Olympic athletes continuously inspire people to change their lives; however, we must be S.M.A.R.T. on how we do it (more on this the next post). Good luck to all the American athletes, especially our local northwesters! Go USA!