WELLNESS WONDERLAND: YOUR PASSPORT TO FITNESS BLISS

We are nine weeks into the 2024 calendar year. Was one of your New Year’s Resolutions eating healthier and going to the gym? If so, here is a quick motivator to keep achieving your goals. More than 50% of people who make their New Year’s Resolution a change in lifestyle quit within 3 months into the New Year. In this week’s blog, we will discuss how to develop a workout plan, identify the benefits of physical fitness, and explain how chiropractic can enhance workout performance. 

How Do You Develop a Good Workout Routine?

When you want to start working out, you need to first determine your primary goal Is it weight loss? Is it increasing muscle mass? Is it cardiovascular enhancement? Is it increasing sport performance productivity? There are several different goals patients try to achieve during workout sessions. In this blog, we will discuss how physical activity helps promote weight loss.

Once you have determined your primary goal, you must then create a workout routine. When people try to lose weight, they assume that cardio is the answer. Believe it or not, fat is burned more efficiently when working on different muscle groups equally. Cardio burns calories, which is good; however, when fat burning is desired, burning all the calories must first be achieved. 

The best thing to do is break your workouts into 7 different muscle groups: back, biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders, legs, and cardio. You may choose to do one muscle group per workout session or work two opposing muscle groups per workout session. If performing two muscle groups in a workout session is desired, our recommendations would be working on back and biceps together or working on triceps and chest together.

The last thing to determine is the frequency and duration of each workout per week. If you are new to physical fitness, we highly recommend starting your workouts light. Start with light to moderate intensity workouts 2-4 times a week for 30-60 minutes a day. Starting with moderate to high intensity workouts 5-6 times a week for 60-90 minutes increases the risk of injury and discouragement. In fact, those who are well conditioned only go to the gym 3-5 times a week for 60 minutes. Don’t listen to people who tell you that there is no such thing as rest days because it does the body more harm than good. 

What Kind of Training is Best?

There are several different types of training. All are good for the body and health, but many require more experience because of the difficulty level. When finding the right training technique, ask yourself, what are you trying to accomplish. Is it weight loss? Is it increasing muscle mass? Is it increasing cardiovascular enhancement? Is it increasing flexibility? The list is endless. 

If you are new to physical fitness, start with one training style and work your way into different training styles as you become more experienced. The most common training styles are resistance training and cardiovascular training. These two styles are very easy to perform, even for the newcomer. Below is a list of common training styles that are beneficial for health. Some may be introduced early on, while others may require more experience. Down the road, we will discuss different training styles separately. 

  • Resistance training
  • Cardio
  • Weight training
  • CrossFit 
  • Yoga
  • Barre 
  • Plyometric training
  • Interval training

Benefits of Exercise

There are hundreds of different exercise benefits Common physical activity benefits include:

  • Weight loss
  • Reduced heart attack risk.
  • Reduced diabetes risk.
  • Reduced stroke risk.
  • Reduced cancer risk.
  • Improved sleep.
  • Improved mood.
  • Improved flexibility.
  • Increased muscle mass.
  • Improved bone and joint health.
  • Reduced pain. 

What Can We Do to Help?

Not only can chiropractors give advice on the benefits of physical activity, but we can also enhance workout performance. For muscles to work properly, nerves need to be running at full capacity. When nerve interference is present, over time, pain persists, muscles weaken, sensation changes appear, and the body begins to fail. 

Be on the lookout for injuries at the gym. We all have pushed our body to the limit at some point. This can result in minor or severe injuries. Small injuries may include stretching a muscle beyond its limits or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS occurs when muscles become sore 1-3 days after an intense workout. Pre and post stretching can help reduce the effects of DOMS. Major injuries are beyond a chiropractor’s scope of practice and may include fractures, major strains, sprains, or tears.

Regular adjustments help reduce the side effects of post exercise, and help improve workout performance by maintaining an optimal, healthy nervous system. 

Realize it’s never too late to start working out. It may be 9 weeks into the new year, but why wait until 2025? Plan ahead for the next year. If you have any questions about the benefits of physical activity, please feel free to call us at (724) 547-3377 and check out our website at www.drlarrywilkinsspinalcare.com for more blog content. 

Yours In Health,

Larry E. Wilkins, DC

Brian M. Steinert, DC

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