PACE yourself: be smart if restarting exercise. Kaiser Permanente

After months of sheltering at home, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to forgo their regular fitness routines. Now that the state of California has reopened, many people are anxious to return to the gym or embark on a new exercise program to help them get back into shape.

But it’s important to ease into any new activity otherwise you risk serious injury, said Chris Fowler, MD, sports medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center.

“I think people tend to over-estimate their fitness level and under-estimate the importance of what I call regular maintenance,” he said.

Especially for those who haven’t been active for a while, it’s important to recognize you might not be in shape to go out tomorrow and run a marathon. Those so-called “Weekend Warriors”, people who participate in unusually strenuous activities on the weekends, could find themselves facing major injuries if they don’t train properly.

“Our role as sports medicine doctors is to get you out there, get you in the game, have fun, but do it in a smart way,” Fowler said.

Fowler, who is a team physician for the San Jose Sharks and Barracudas hockey clubs, said his advice to Weekend Warriors is the same he would give to any professional athlete.

“If you stretch, keep your muscles strong, essentially prepare for being that Weekend Warrior, you’re less likely to have a problem,” he said. “Take a walk or two, at least 15 minutes a day to get those leg muscles going.”

Fowler uses the acronym PACE to summarize his advice to people contemplating a return to strenuous physical activity.

• Prepare: Move those muscles in the week before the weekend workout.
• Avoid overdoing it: Instead of spending hours on one activity or sport try different ones in shorter increments.
• Cross train: Focus on activities or sports that use different parts of the body.
• Eat right: Eating nutritious foods throughout the week is essential for overall conditioning and performing well.

Eating right is especially important ahead of strenuous activity because it takes time for glycogen, the muscle food, to build up in your body. Fueling up on pasta ahead of a big race is a great way to prepare your body. And it’s essential to pre-hydrate before any activity because if you wait until you’re thirsty, you could be in danger of having your muscles cramp up, Fowler said.

And even if you’re not a Weekend Warrior, Fowler said, it’s important for everyone to be safe and take the proper precautions when starting a new exercise program to avoid serious injury.