Starting Smart: How to Begin a Spring Exercise Program for Gardening, Walking, and Running
As the days get longer and the weather warms up, many of us feel the urge to get outside and enjoy the springtime by starting a new exercise routine. Whether you're getting into gardening, taking up walking, or beginning to run, the key to success is starting smart—especially when it comes to your body. As a physical therapist, I want to share a few important tips to ensure that you build a strong foundation and avoid injury as you embark on your new fitness journey.
Gradual Exposure to Stress: The Secret to Long-Term Success
When we engage in physical activity, we’re placing stress on our muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. This mechanical stress, when applied gradually and progressively, actually helps our connective tissues adapt and get stronger over time. But here's the catch: if we jump into things too quickly or too intensely, we risk overloading our tissues, which can lead to pain, injury, and setbacks.
Your connective tissue, which includes collagen in your ligaments and tendons, as well as cartilage in your joints, can adapt positively to gradual increases in activity. However, it's important to give these tissues adequate time to adjust to the new demands. This process is called “graded exposure,” and it means starting slow and gradually increasing the intensity and duration of your workouts.
Listening to Your Body: Pain, Swelling, and Stiffness
As you start a new exercise program, it’s crucial to pay attention to how your body is responding. After exercise, it’s common to experience some mild discomfort or stiffness. However, there's a difference between normal soreness and potential injury.
If you experience stiffness or soreness 24-48 hours after exercise, this is most likely delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is a normal part of the adaptation process and is generally nothing to worry about. This type of soreness happens as your muscles and connective tissues rebuild and become stronger.
However, if you experience pain or stiffness within 8-12 hours of exercise, this could be a sign that you’ve pushed yourself too hard and may have created a small injury. In such cases, it’s important to back off a little, modify your activity, and give your body time to heal.
Tips for Specific Activities
- Gardening
Gardening is a wonderful way to get active in the spring, but it can be physically demanding on the body—especially your lower back, shoulders, and wrists. Start with small gardening sessions of 20-30 minutes and gradually increase the time as your body adapts. Focus on good posture while bending or kneeling to protect your lower back. Remember to take frequent breaks, stretch, and hydrate!
- Walking
Walking is one of the safest and most accessible forms of exercise. However, even walking requires some consideration, especially if you haven’t been walking regularly. If you’re starting from scratch, aim for 20-30 minutes of walking at a comfortable pace, and gradually increase the duration or intensity as your body feels ready. These suggestions are not for everyone. 5-10 minutes may be the best place to start for you. The general rule of thumb is that if you can walk comfortably for 60 minutes without pain or discomfort, you’re likely ready to move on to the next level, such as jogging if that happens to be your goal.
- Running
Running is a great cardiovascular exercise, but it’s important to take a careful approach when transitioning from walking to running. As a general guideline, you should be able to walk for 60 minutes without experiencing any symptoms or discomfort before you begin jogging. Once you’re ready, start by incorporating short intervals of jogging—perhaps 30 seconds of jogging every 8 minutes of walking for 60 minutes. After three successful outings, you can gradually increase the jogging intervals to 60 seconds. This progressive approach helps to reduce the risk of injury while your body adapts to running.
The Bottom Line: Know When to Modify
Starting a new exercise routine doesn’t have to be painful or overwhelming. If you experience discomfort, it’s important to adjust your routine to fit your body’s needs. If modifying your exercise doesn’t get you back on track, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local physical therapist. They are your best resource for activity-related concerns and can help you make any necessary adjustments to your program. No referral necessary for most insurance plans.
By following these principles of graded exposure, listening to your body, and progressing slowly, you’ll set yourself up for a successful and injury-free spring exercise season. So go ahead, get moving, and start smart! Your body will thank you in the long run.
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