If you were regularly involved in sports during your childhood and young adulthood but eventually became less physically active due to a busier lifestyle you may be surprised by how you feel after returning to the gym in a short amount of time.
I can tell you that happened to me in my first month back in the gym at the age of 48, after a long 17-year break.
- Some of the pains I had for years in my joints disappeared within the first week. For example, every evening before going to bed, I felt a deep pain behind my right knee that kept me up for hours before falling asleep. Maybe because in these 17 years, I have not done any sports, and I have sat for more than 8 hours per day in front of the computer to pay the bills. This pain that I thought might be serious went away after 4 or 5 workouts that included a good, full-body warmup for about 15-20 minutes every time, plus a one-day legs workout. Within the first month, other pains went away, like back pain and shoulder pain, all caused by sitting too long and lack of sports.
- My energy level increased right away. The athlete in me that was dormant all this time woke up. My enthusiasm for doing sports again kicked in, and that skyrocketed my good mood immediately. I couldn't wait for the next workout day, especially since I started to feel better so fast. I didn't expect it to happen this quickly.
- Because I take training seriously, I adjusted my diet from the first day I started returning to the gym. That's a double plus that impacted my overall well-being. I ditched bread, pasta, rice, sweets, highly processed foods and junk food. I chose whole oats, fruits, and some nuts with whole milk yogurt for almost every breakfast. Vegetables, lots of vegetables, chicken breast, fish, or eggs for the rest of the meals. This helped me to lose some fat while muscle memory started to kick in. All meals are in smaller portions than I used to eat. I use the same 10-ounce bowl for every meal. That's how I know I don't eat much at a time. The only exception I make using a bigger pot is when I eat simple salads like lettuce, onion, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and olive oil with 100 grams of grilled chicken breast.
- Better sleep. The new diet, plus the workouts, gave me a good 8 hours of quality sleep.
- I started to have a better posture almost right away. I don't know if it's the gym or the mood, but now I am more aware of my posture. When I sit in front of the computer, I work, I walk. When I'm cooking or doing any other day-by-day activities.
- I feel younger, and the age seems more like a number.
