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Tel Aviv Dr. Alex Winderman cautions on these fitness mistakes

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Fitness plays a major role in Dr. Alex Winderman’s life. It offers him more than just the perfect body, which his 150K+ followers on Instagram can attest to, but also keeps him fit enough to enjoy his demanding medical duties and favorite pastimes.

Regular exercise is something Dr. Alex Wilderman fitted into his routine from a young age. Getting fit helped him overcome the serious trauma and injuries he suffered at the age of 12, after a car accident. Besides broken bones, he had spinal and head injuries, and ruptured internal organs. The chances of him surviving were very slim.

“I am very lucky to be able to do any sports now,” he says. “This is thanks to the dedicated medical team at the time.”

Benefits of regular exercise

According to Dr. Alex WIlderman, exercise is more than just sweating it out on an afternoon jog or doing a heavy gym session. It offers some serious health benefits if done correctly.

The benefits include strengthened muscles, bones, and mental capacity. Exercise helps reduce stress, prevents insomnia, boosts memory loss, controls sugar levels, and strengthens the cardiovascular system.

Your fitness goals can lead to some serious mistakes though, and you should avoid them at all costs, which Dr. Alex says you should avoid at all costs.

Skipping the warm-up session

Warming up raises the body’s temperature slowly enough to prepare all the organs used during an exercise session. As we warm up, our blood starts to flow a bit faster, preparing our muscles, lungs, and heart for the increased activity about to come.

Once the body is prepared for the exercise session, it is ready for its most ultimate performance, including endurance. That is why our favorite sports stars never go into a match without practicing this first rule. Dynamic stretching is vital to the warm-up routine, but the static stretching must be saved for afterward.

Fitness without a goal

Already most of us are squeezing our fitness routine into a very busy program, so imagine wasting time because of failing to have a goal. Whatever way we choose to stay fit, planning helps us remain dedicated and to scale our fitness.

The ideal amount of time to exercise is between 3 to 4 hours a week, set out in evenly distributed sessions. Nobody needs to exceed more than 6 hours unless they are an athlete and training under special supervision.

While exercising, we must remain completely focused on those goals – and they are difficult to adhere to in the beginning.

Sticking to one routine

Comfort and exercise are not a great combination because they don’t allow for optimized performance. As our bodies adapt to an exercise routine, we stop seeing the progress we are hoping for. Also, the more repetitive a routine is, the more the chances of getting repetitive stress syndrome and injuries from the overuse of certain muscles.

That’s why we need to work changes into the routine that will help improve the body. These can include increasing the incline we run at, slowly adding more weight, or adding different muscle groups to a routine.

In the words of Dr. Alex, “I find alternating between jogging, the gym, and swimming always works best for me.”

Not eating or drinking enough

Food and liquids are vital to every exercise program. They give us energy and keep us hydrated. As we exercise, our core temperature increases, placing the body under duress. The best way to counter this is with fluids. Water, juices, and drinks that replenish the body’s electrolytes will do. Liquids help keep the body hydrated, joints lubricated, reduce inflammation, and flush out all metabolic waste. Start hydrating the body before exercising, but keep this must be kept up during and after exercise too.

The energy required for an exercise session comes from the creation of blood sugar as we digest food. This sends an oxygen boost for ultimate performance. Carbs and protein-rich foods, eaten 45 minutes before exercise, are the best exercise fuel.

Final take

Ukrainian-born Dr. Alex Wilderman has been working in Israel since 2019. “The weather here helps my exercise routine tremendously because it is good for exercising out of doors.”

After a year at Technion University, he entered his internship at the prestigious Sheba Medical Center before being called to do his military service. He is now proudly serving his new country and offering his medical services at the base he is serving, a role he is proud of.

Story by Virginia Sagal

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