Tip # 1: Enjoy yourself!
If you stopped the sport a few months or a few years ago, it is because the motivation and the notion of pleasure were no longer there. Rest assured, this is completely normal. Sport is certainly essential to improve one's health and physical condition, but for this, one often goes through a phase of suffering, hence the famous saying "one must suffer to be beautiful". To avoid getting to that point and in order to get nothing but positive out of your sport, you should not neglect the notion of pleasure!
By reading this article, the major objective is to help you to take up sport again to keep your practice as long as possible. Indeed, regular exercise can improve your state of health.
A publication by the Ministry of Sports dated 31 January 2018 informs us that "according to the Academy of Medicine, the practice of a physical and sporting activity allows a significant reduction in premature mortality variable according to the type and level of activities performed. A recent prospective study estimates a 3 years gain in life expectancy from a regular practice (15 minutes per day or 92 minutes weekly). Each additional quarter hour of daily exercise would also reduce overall mortality by 4 % and cancer mortality by 1 % regardless of age and sex(2).
"In addition, sport significantly reduces the appearance of certain diseases such as colon cancer, breast cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading cause of death in the world.
Undeniably, getting back into sport will only bring you benefits. But it is the notion of pleasure that will allow you to get back on your feet. It is essential to choose a sport that makes you want and motivates you.
Impossible to make an exhaustive list since the pleasure is specific to each one. However, it is not uncommon for team sports to lead the way in football, handball or volleyball.
Being alone and/or in the wild can also be fun, as in hiking, Nordic walking, swimming, running, golfing or climbing.
If you are competitive, squash, badminton or athletics are good options.
Finally, taking care of your body has never been so much in the spotlight. For this, thousands of French people choose to practice musculation, cross-training, fitness and associated group classes.
To get back into sport, your mission will be to find THE sport or sports that give you the most pleasure. There is bound to be one for you among the hundreds of activities available. If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to do a trial session before committing to the duration.
Tip #2: Define your own goal
The pursuit of an objective can be useful to practice over time. Indeed, the idea is not to go back to sports for 2 weeks before giving up everything. This option is absolutely not an option!
The goal may be weight loss, muscle gain, an improvement in physical abilities or even a desire to maintain oneself. Sport makes it possible to remain active throughout one's life and to considerably improve one's lifestyle, it would be a shame to deprive oneself of it.
Be concrete. For this, the goal must be achievable and attainable. Do not go faster than the music. For example, your goal could be to "run a marathon. However, if you have not run for 5 years, it is advisable to go gradually.
This progressive step operation will allow you to remain motivated, avoid injury and accompany you over the long term. Then, it is up to you to set flexible dates for achieving the various objectives.
Finally, the doctor's approval is mandatory when one wishes to get back into sport. We strongly advise you to have a medical check-up to discuss your ambitions and state of health with your sports doctor.
Read also: How to motivate yourself and reach your goals?
Tip #3: Get organized
Now that you know WHY you want to get back into sport, it's time to identify HOW to do it. In order to do this, you will have to provide a minimum of organization. For your recovery, we recommend 2 sports sessions per week for 1 month. This will allow you to get enough rest to get started in the best conditions. After 30 days, increase the volume to 3 sessions per week by interspersing a day of rest. Finally, if all the lights are green, you can add a 4th, which corresponds to an ideal training volume to reach your sporting objective.
During the implementation of your sports planning, avoid dispersing yourself. Focus on one goal at a time. For example, it is not uncommon for some neophytes to simultaneously target muscle gain and weight loss. To gain muscle, you have to eat more. To lose weight, you have to eat less. To be effective, it is therefore important not to scatter. In this concrete case, we will advise you first to reduce your fat percentage during X weeks. Once this objective has been achieved, you can aim for a gain in muscle mass thanks to a high-protein diet and adapted training sessions.
Tip #4: Need motivation?
Difficult but not impossible to stay motivated all year round. For that, various tricks are offered to you:
- Train with someone: in your circle of friends or family, there must be someone who wants to get back into sport just like you. You may also know a sports enthusiast who is willing to take you under his wing. Two-man sport is better! This allows you to stay motivated while sharing your knowledge.
- Call a sports coach: are you afraid of doing wrong or getting hurt? The help of a coach can be useful during the first weeks. Whether at home or in the gym, he can give you the advice you need to get you on the right track. On the price side, count between 20 € and 40 € the session. If you can get your darling into the adventure, you will reduce costs, which is all the more interesting.
- Listen to music Music has a positive influence on sports performance . Training with your headphones or headphones occasionally or regularly can help you stay focused and motivated.
- Take your measurements: Difficult to see its evolution when you look at yourself every day in the mirror. The idea is to take his measurements once a month to obtain figures on his figure, if you opt for a goal of weight loss or muscle gain.
Read also: Sport and motivation: 6 tips to get started and persevere
Other phenomena can hinder your motivation. This includes the injury. Staying inactive for several weeks can keep you away from the fields forever. Particular attention should be paid to warm-up and stretching. To this is added the fact of being attentive to one's body. The rule is simple: At the slightest pain, it is advisable to stop physical activity immediately and then consult a doctor. Practice with pain will only aggravate the injury and increase the healing phase. However, even when injured, there are often many ways to stay active.
Tip #5: Eat healthy to boost your performance
If you've chosen to get back into sport, you might as well keep up the momentum. A healthy and balanced diet will help you reach your goal faster. However, faced with the multitude of advice and diet that can be found on the net, it is not easy to find your way around. However, the main principles remain basic and within everyone's reach (see table below).
Whatever your goal, it is important to monitor your water intake. We recommend drinking at least 1.5 litres of water a day, or more depending on the heat or sporting activity. Eating fruits and vegetables while avoiding processed foods will benefit your health, figure and athletic performance. In fact, did you know that a poorly controlled diet can lead to injury? Indeed, a too acidic diet, caused for example by an absence of alkalizing foods such as most fruits, fish, vegetables or whole grains can significantly increase the risk of tendinitis.
| Objectives | Principles |
|---|---|
| I want to lose weight |
|
| I would like to take muscle |
|
| I want to improve my performance |
|
In conclusion
To get back into sport, there are no four ways to go, our 5 easy tips will suffice ;-)
To achieve this, we advise you to:
- Tip #1: make yourself happy!
- Tip #2 : have a goal to reach
- Tip #3: be organized not to give up
- Tip #4: be accompanied to boost your motivation
- Tip #5: Eat healthy to optimize results
When we want to get back into sport, we are often full of good will. Nevertheless, it is advisable to resume gradually and at moderate intensity. Remember that regularity prevails over intensity. It is not a question of giving everything for 15 days to give up prematurely because of an injury for example.
We hope our 5 easy tips will help you get back into the sport. Whether it is after a pregnancy, a long convalescence, a bet, a good resolution or a questioning, know that a regular sporting practice will bring you physical and psychic benefits thanks to the numerous hormones produced by the body with the effort.
References:(1) Ministry of Sports: Physical Activity and Sport, Health and Quality of Public Finances, 2018
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