Returning to Training After Covid-19

Returning to Training after COVID-19 

Both 2020 & 2021 have been totally dominated by the COVID-19 virus. It has disrupted so many businesses, ruined our social lives, tampered with our mental health, and tested the physical health of so many people, maybe you have had similar challenges. The severity of symptoms can range across a broad continuum, from experiencing little or nothing all the way through to admission into ICU and life-threatening scenarios.

Almost everybody now knows somebody who has been through COVID-19 but, for those who are recovering from the virus and wanting to return to full health and fitness, what can we as fitness coaches/educators do to help? What advice should we follow? What are the contraindications? How can we coach members and clients through the process?

Our initial approach should be to help set realistic expectations for our clients. Many fitness enthusiasts out there will be eager to make up for lost training time and keen to regain their full vigour as swiftly as possible. Lacing up their running shoes and striving to match their pre-COVID 5km time may, however, prove a little more challenging than they anticipated and could possibly lead to greater symptoms of fatigue. We can coach their expectations in terms of what they might experience upon return to training and what sort of timeline might be realistic to return to their full health and fitness.

The broad range of symptom severity is reflected in the varying lengths of time it takes to fully rehabilitate an individual. The more severe the symptoms experienced the longer the rehabilitation timeline is to be expected. Individuals who isolated and recovered at home with mild symptoms can be back up on their feet and active again in a matter of weeks. Others who were admitted to hospital for treatment and/or had other underlying medical conditions will likely require months to fully recover.

• after three weeks, most of the chest pains and phlegm (sputum) should have reduced
• after five weeks, the cough and feeling breathless should have greatly reduced
• after two months, most symptoms should have settled but tiredness may still be present
• after four months, symptoms should have all settled

If you have already contracted the virus, you may have identified some difficultly returning to exercise. It’s important to note that, as well as physical symptoms throughout recovery, it is also common to experience mental and emotional side-effects. Some of the probable side-effects are as follows:

Physical side-effects

• Struggling to breathe when you’re resting or when you’re active
• Inability to do activities you could do before you became ill
• Feeling very tired (fatigued) and low on energy
• Experiencing loss of appetite, weight loss and muscle atrophy
• Experiencing loss of taste/smell
• Lacking good-quality sleep
• Mental side-effects
• Forgetfulness
• Inability to think clearly and to concentrate
• Struggling to perform everyday tasks that involve organising, planning and problem solving
• Emotional side-effects
• Low mood
• Anxiety
• Depression

Although many will experience fatigue post COVID, a good sign that exercise could be back on the cards is the ability to complete daily chores and the undertaking of short but regular walks. Under the pretence of fatigue, it may be tempting to want to lounge around on the sofa browsing Netflix and debating whether to commit yourself to the next six-season box set. This is the wrong thing to do, as inactivity can contribute to fatigue and lengthen the recovery process.

Getting up and doing activities, such as housework and walking little and often, is where the return to activity begins. The NHS recommends setting a goal and building up to 30mins of walking per day. The Columbia Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine at Columbia University New York goes one step further and recommends the following structure to build up your walking:

• Week 1: five minutes, five times per day
• Week 2: 10 minutes, three times per day
• Week 3: 15 minutes, twice per day

Achieving 30mins of walking per day is a good sign that a more structured exercise programme can begin. Upon return to exercise, fit pros should maintain a cautious approach and build a client’s fitness and confidence gradually and systematically. You may well find that it is sensible to reduce the duration of workouts to 30-45mins to begin with. Emphasis should be placed on a gradual increase in functional capacity and specifically improving aerobic fitness, balance, co-ordination, and strength.

Aim to give your clients a physical and mental lift by beginning with low-level, achievable exercises and providing progression only when physical competence is demonstrated. Allow them to experience progress and give them a mental lift. Encourage them to keep a diary of their exercise achievements and to score their energy levels daily, so that progress can be mapped and highlighted as success.

STOP exercise if you get any sudden symptoms including:

• chest pain or tightness
• feeling dizzy, nauseous, clammy, or cold
• feeling increasingly wheezy
• sore joints or muscle weakness

As an industry, we can play a key role in improving the physical and mental health of Indonesia. Let us show professionalism by being methodical in our approach and allowing our passion for health and fitness to shine through, coaching and supporting clients’ and members’ recovery to optimal health.