Top tips on how to care for your muscles and joints through a new exercise routine. | Health 2000

Are you one of the many people who have started the year with great intentions to get fit and get moving?  Often this is done with great enthusiasm leading us to jump in to a new regime “boots and all”. The consequences for a body, that is not used to new and strenuous movements, is that we may overdo it and leave ourselves feeling broken and needing so stop and recuperate.

When looking at the impact of exercise there are many areas affected in the body; most obviously the muscles and the joints.  Training hard can lead to small microtears in the muscles, which when repaired lead to stronger muscles and increase muscle mass.  This is how we build muscles, but in order to do this effectively we need to ensure that our protein intake is adequate, as protein is required to repair and build the muscle. This is why having a protein drink or a meal with protein is great after a big workout.

 If muscles become tight from exercise increasing magnesium foods or supplements can be useful.  Magnesium is required to support muscle relaxation and is great to take at night for an added bonus of supporting healthy sleep. If you have seriously over trained and are feeling very stiff, try relaxing in a bath with a cup of Epsom salts as this supports with muscle relaxation. 

Depending on the type of exercise we pursue, different joints can be impacted by a new regime.  High impact exercise, such as those that require running and jumping movements mainly affect the ankles, knees and hips.  Lower impact exercises such as swimming and cycling are less stressful on these joints.  Joints are the place at which two or more bones are joined and the range of motion required at this junction dictates the type of joints that we have.  However, all joints have similar structures of bones, which are supported by muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage and fascia. These supporting structures provide stability for the joint and are made from collagen for strength and elastin for flexibility. Again, protein rich foods such as meat, dairy, legumes, eggs and fish provide the body with amino acids enabling it to create collagen and elastin. 

There is also another factor that can lead to exercise induced discomfort and that is lactic acid. This is a by-product of energy production when exercising and is normally flushed away within an hour or so of exercising. However, if we overdo it, we can get a build-up of lactic acid and this leads to muscle stiffness and discomfort.  To help avoid this make sure you drink plenty of water to flush and hydrate the body. Add lemon juice to water for an alkalising effect or try coconut water which is also alkaline and contains electrolytes that can be lost during hard exercise.

If you would like some additional support when starting to exercise or for healthy joint ageing Clinicians has new MobiJoint™.  It contains BiovaFlex®, a patented and researched eggshell membrane, which provides a rich source of elastin, collagen and glycosaminoglcans (glucosamine and chondroitin are types of these) and are the building blocks for healthy joints. MobiJoint™ also contains the herb Cat’s Claw, which supports healthy joint function and the body’s natural healing ability. At one vege capsule a day, Clinicians MobiJoint™ can support you to achieve your new year’s fitness ambitions.

https://www.health2000.co.nz/blog/sport-fitness/new-exercise-routine