WHAT do you do when you haven’t exercised in a while and now you want to get back? A lot of us get gung-ho, and want to get out like chariots on fire. Globally, there’s a race to get back to sports activities and events. The Bundesliga, Germany’s football league, have now started playing without any spectators after a hiatus. Studies show that injury rates are higher when sporting events resume after a longer off-season. This is owing to different preparation methods and some athletes not taking the time to prepare adequately.

How can you get back to your exercise or sports routine well?

1. Start slowly. Despite our best efforts to exercise well at home, the decision-making and reflexes required to change direction and perform more complex skills may be affected. Make sure to do some skills training and perform sports skills gradually when you can.

2. Maintain the fitness that you can when you can. When you’re at home, try and maintain your fitness. There are a variety of modes to maintain fitness like HIIT, Circuit Training and Bodyweight Training. Make sure you also include jumping movements like hops, bounds and lateral movements. These ensure that your tissues do not de-train while in quarantine.

3. Keep your bodyweight manageable. With decreased movement opportunities owing to several lockdown mechanisms instituted by our government, it is even more important now to watch what we eat. We cannot eat the same amount of calories and expect to not gain weight. One way to manage weight is to control carbohydrates according to the intensity and volume you may have. Eat more when training and eat less on rest days.

We are longing for the days when we can train in groups and with our friends. There will be a time and place for that, most likely when a vaccine for Covid-19 is out. But for now, we do what we can to maintain our fitness. Let’s follow our authorities and hope for better days ahead.