Q I’ve had a break from lifting – any advice for rebuilding my routine?
Good news: your body is primed to make a comeback. With strength training in particular, your brain remembers how it communicated with your ner vous system and muscles to perform specific movements (aka muscle memor y), says physical therapist and PT Kristi Barker. Still, the key to a successful return is patience, adds PT Simone Williams, who specialises in prenatal and postnatal training.
If you were out for two weeks or less, Barker recommends the 15% rule. ‘Reduce overall load at least 15% the first week back, to see where your baseline is.’ Tune into your body, make sure nothing hurts or feels off and add weight from there, says Williams. Out for four weeks? Strip off the weight plates and put down the dumbbells – at least for now. Williams suggests going back to body-weight exercises, adding small increments of weight as your body gets used to the patterns again.
If your break was longer than four weeks, motivation may present another obstacle. ‘Focus on the type of movement you love, which may be dancing, yoga or lifting, to start, and schedule it into your calendar,’ says Barker. Lastly, if you were sidelined by injury or illness, have a healthcare professional oversee your rehab. ‘They will prescribe exercises that allow you to recover efficiently,’ she adds. Noted.
Q I’m one of life’s pessimists . Do I really need to look on the bright side?
Put it this way: the latest addition to ‘reasons to be cheerful’ is a longer life. In a major study*, high optimism was linked to a longer lifespan and exceptional longevity (living past 90) in women across racial and ethnic groups.
When times are hard, thinking optimistically can be tough. But there are steps you can take to become more positive. Step one: reframe your reaction to roadblocks; optimists tend to better understand an obstacle to be time-limited and specific to circumstances rather than taking it personally, says Lewina Lee, a clinical psychologist. Step two: imagine your best possible self; doing so can guide your behaviour, boosting your positivity, says Suzanne Segerstrom, psychologist and author of Breaking Murphy’s Law. Step three: be relentless with goals. ‘People who believe good things will happen are more likely to work harder at their goals and, so, achieve them,’ adds Segerstrom, who suggests listing ways you believe you could overcome any goal-blocking barriers.
Q Why do I keep talking myself out of achieving my goals?
Our brains cling to the familiar, which can get in the way of opportunities for growth. Say you want to try P
