How to Avoid Injury When Starting Exercise for Weight Loss

If you’re using weight loss injections, exercise is a key part of your treatment plan.  

It helps prevent muscle loss, break through weight loss plateaus, and reduce side effects like fatigue. 

But it can be easy to get excited and want fast results, especially when you’re starting out or returning from a long break. Pushing yourself too hard too soon can lead to injury, setbacks, and frustration.  

This guide explains how to build exercise habits safely, so you feel confident and strong with each step forwards in your weight loss journey. 

Three key takeaways  

• When beginning any exercise program, always start slowly, listen to your body, and build up gradually to help prevent injury.  

• Most exercise injuries happen from overdoing it too soon or from not resting and recovering properly.  

• Warming up thoroughly, practicing proper form, and recovering fully are as important as the workouts themselves.  

Why injury prevention matters  

Injury prevention is the most important aspect of any exercise program for one simple reason: if you get injured, you can’t properly exercise, and progress slows. 

It’s tempting when you first start exercising to overdo it. This might be because you want to overcorrect for a lack of activity in the past and see fast results.  

It might simply be because you fall in love with the rush of exercising and how you good you feel afterwards. 

But if you push yourself too hard too soon and injure yourself, you’ll likely have to take a break to recover.  

Injuries are far more common when you’re new to exercise. It takes time to build up resilience in the body, especially in the joints, tendons, and muscles.  

This is because your body isn’t used to exercise and needs time to adjust. And if you’re on a weight loss journey, initial extra weight can place more strain on your body, especially your joints. 

Injuries can delay progress, affect your motivation, and slow down momentum, making it harder to stay consistent. So, staying injury-free is key to long-term success.  

Start slow and build gradually  

When it comes to exercise, consistency is much more important than intensity.  

It may not seem like you’re achieving big results at the start, but you’re laying the foundations to build upon for a lifetime of active enjoyment and increased energy. 

To help yourself build active habits that last, follow these tips: 

• Start with low-impact activities that are easy on the joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. 

• Gradually increase the intensity over time. 

• Aim to increase your effort and output by 5-10% week-on-week. 

• Listen to your body – a little soreness after exercise is normal, especially when starting out, sharp pain or discomfort that lasts for days and makes it harder to function isn’t. 

• Avoid an all-or nothing mindset – any activity is better than none, and staying staying injury-free means staying active. 

Try starting out with more gentle, low-impact activities like: 

• walking 

• swimming 

• cycling 

• yoga 

• light resistance bands 

• beginner bodyweight exercises that you can progress through more advanced forms of (like push-ups against a wall, or supported squats and sit-ups) 

Warm up and cool down  

Warming up and cooling down are essential for every workout.  

Warming up gradually increases your heart rate, boosts blood flow, loosens up your muscles and joints, and prepares the mind for exercise by helping you ease into a movement mindset. 

Warm, loose muscles that are pumped full of blood are much less likely to injure or strain.  

Warm-up exercises 

Your warmup shouldn’t be intense, just enough to get your heart pumping, your body moving and perhaps get a bit of a sweat going. 

It’s also a good idea to practice dynamic stretches (those that involve movement) before exercise, and save static stretches (when you hold the stretch while staying still) for the cool down. 

Some good warmup exercises include: 

• 5–10 minutes of brisk walking 

• Marching on the spot while lifting your knees high 

• Making small circles with your feet, hands, arms, hips, and knees to warm up the major joints in your wrists, ankles, hips, knees, and shoulders 

Cool-down exercises 

Cooling down is almost as important as warming up.  

It helps bring your heart rate back down to a resting state slowly, helps reduce muscle stiffness, and improves flexibility and mobility.  

To cool down try: 

• walking at a normal pace for 5 minutes, gradually getting slower 

• practicing some light, gentle yoga poses 

• holding gentle static stretches for 3 sets of 20-40 seconds on your major muscle groups, like your quads (thighs), core, back, calves, biceps, triceps, and neck 

Top training tip: never skip recovery, your muscles rebuild when you rest. And you’ve earned it! 

Focus on form, not speed  

We all remember the childhood tale of the tortoise and the hare. Well, it’s true – slow and steady wins the fitness and weight loss race. 

When you’re getting started, aim to develop good form and technique in all your movements.  

Your body has something called ‘muscle memory’, which means that after a while, however you’ve learned to perform any movement becomes second nature.  

So it’s crucial to develop good form to prevent injury. Incorrect repetitive movements can place unnecessary strain on your body and wear away at your joints. 

Once you have the movements down, you won’t even need to think about how to perform specific movements – your muscles will do that for you.  

Then you can start adding reps, weight, or distance, as you progress. 

If you’re new to workout out and want to make sure you’re using good form, you can try: 

• Joining a club (like a runner’s club) with different levels of experience, to learn from people who’ve being doing it longer than you 

• Watching tutorials online 

• Downloading a fitness app with guides that help you advance through harder movements and exercises as you progress 

• Hiring a personal trainer (many of whom do sessions online via videochat these days) 

• Attending classes at the gym or in the park 

• Asking people at the gym - you’d be surprised how friendly and eager to help a lot of more-experienced gym junkies are 

Top training tip: The ‘no pain no gain’ motto definitely isn’t true when you’re an exercise beginner. Pain is your body’s warning system.  

A little discomfort is normal, but sharp or prolonged pain that lasts after exercise is an alarm bell you should listen to. 

Remember, quality is more importantly than quantity. It’s better to do one rep of a movement correctly than do ten with improper form, regardless of the type of exercise. 

Choose the right activities for your body  

Remember: the exercise routine you’ll stick to is the one you can handle without straining yourself.  

Make exercise work for you, not the other way around, by choosing activities that fit your comfort and mobility level. 

Try low-impact beginner-friendly exercises like: 

• Walking : it’s free, easy, and joint-friendly, especially on a flat surface.  

• Swimming: supports your weight and reduces impact on your joints. 

• Resistance training: builds strength and muscle safely when done properly and improves body composition. Just remember to build up slowly over time and don’t do any exercise to failure at first 

• Cycling: builds endurance while reducing the strain on your hips, knees, and ankles. 

Top training tip: It’s a good idea to cross-train by mixing cardio and strength exercises. But build up to this over time, over time, but don’t rush it.  

Rest and recovery  

Despite what you might think, your muscles actually repair, strengthen, and grow during rest, not while you’re working out. This makes rest a key pillar of your training program.  

Your joints and muscles heal between workouts, so give them a well-earned break. Your body will thank you. 

To make sure you’re getting proper rest: 

• Avoid training the same muscle group on consecutive days.  

• Prioritise quality sleep  

• Drink enough water 

• Get enough protein 

• Take at least one full rest day each week 

• If you tend to sweat moderately to profusely while exercising, consider an electrolyte supplement to rebalance the minerals in your body 

Top training tip: After a workout, take a hot shower (as hot as you’re comfortable with) and run the shower cold for 30 seconds afterward. This helps drive the lactic acid out of your muscles, which reduces soreness and stiffness the next day. 

Recognising the signs of overdoing it  

It’s important to listen to your body and pay attention to how you’re feeling during and after workouts. 

Pay attention to these warning signs of injury:  

• Persistent joint or muscle pain.  

• Swelling or tenderness that doesn’t fade after 48 hours.  

• Sharp or shooting pain during movement.  

• Feeling dizzy, unstable, too breathless, or overly fatigued.  

If you notice any of the red flags above, stop and speak to a health professional before continuing.  

Exercise and medication  

If you’ve recently started weight loss injections, or you’ve recently increased your dose, you might have side effects that make exercising feel tricky. 

You may be experiencing nausea, low energy (fatigue), or dizziness, all of which can make you feel reluctant to get active. 

This is normal, and side effects tend to go away on their own after a short while. But it’s a good idea to practice these tips: 

• Wait until side effects go away before exercising 

• If side effects are coming and going, wait to exercise on days when you feel stronger 

• Eat a balanced, nutritious diet with lots of protein to stay energised through workouts 

• Stay well-hydrated during and after exercise 

And remember to check in with a clinician before starting any intense exercise programme.  

Frequently asked questions  

What is the best beginner exercise to avoid injury?  

Swimming or water aerobics are often regarded as the best beginner exercises to avoid injury because the water reduces the impact on your joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. 

How do I know if I’m overdoing it?  

If you feel sharp pain during a workout, dizziness, severe breathlessness, or soreness that lasts several days, you may be overdoing it. Talk to a health provider for advice. 

What’s the difference between soreness and injury?  

Soreness is normal, especially for beginners. If you still feel sore after several days, or if you feel sharp pain, especially in one place, you may be injured and should seek medical help.  

How long should I warm up before exercising?  

This depends on your current fitness level and your body, but 5-10 minutes is generally considered a healthy amount of time to warm-up. If in doubt, it’s better to warm up for too long than not long enough. 

Can I exercise through mild side effects from Mounjaro or Wegovy?  

If your side effects are very mild, it’s okay to exercise with a gentle-to-moderate intensity, but it’s generally a good idea to wait until side effects reduce before working out. 

Should I rest if I feel tired?  

Feeling tired during exercise is normal, especially for beginners. But if fatigue feels overwhelming, stop and take a break. You should also take 1-2 full rest days per week without exercising, to recover properly. 

What should I do if I get injured while trying to lose weight?  

If you think you’ve injured yourself through exercising, talk to a health professional before starting exercise again. You may need extra rest or physiotherapy exercises. 

How soon after starting medication can I begin exercising?  

This depends on whether you’re experiencing side effects and how severe they are.  

Do I need special shoes or equipment to start?  

For most workouts, loose fitting comfortable clothing and regular trainers are enough. If you’re looking to start running, or increase the distance you run, it may be worth getting proper running shoes with soles that suit your particular running stride to help prevent injury. 

Sources 

• A Beginners Guide to Injury Prevention Summit Physiotherapy [Accessed 31 October 2025] 
• A Guide to Sports Injury Prevention King Edward VII’s Hospital [Accessed 31 October 2025]
• How to warm up before exercising (2025) NHS [Accessed 31 October 2025]  
• Running Injury Prevention Tips & Return to Running Program (2007) Brigham and Women’s Hospital [Accessed 31 October 2025] 
• Tips to prevent injury during training Aston University  [Accessed 31 October 2025]