Are you thinking of taking the first step to getting in shape? Do you want to take your physical fitness routine to the next level? These thoughts may come with the anticipation of “pain”, but if you take the following useful and safety guidelines, achieving a perfectly fit body is possible without injury.
Exercise and Injury
Exercise can give you endless health benefits. Doing it regularly will boost your energy and help you combat diseases. Injuries, however, are no stranger to physical fitness; injuries like ankle and wrist sprain, muscle strain and others can all possibly occur during physical activity. Manhattan Sports Therapy says that injury is inevitable due to the weakening of soft tissues and joints during exercise.
A Wrong Turn
Injuries often occur when the musculoskeletal components are overused, or when a traumatic event happens that causes muscle imbalance and instability of the kinetic chain. Sometimes, though, it’s just a matter of doing an exercise improperly, says Gerald Varlotta, director of rehabilitation medicine at New York University Medical Center.
One of the best ways to avoid fitness injuries is to know your body and find out your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you limit a specific activity that requires force or pressure on your weak spots. For instance, if you have knee problems, limit your use of leg presses and steppers, which could aggravate the condition.
Proper Preparation
In starting your exercise program, observe the proper way to do it. Warming up is important, to ensure that all your muscles and tissues are properly circulating and receiving blood to perform the actual exercises.
Stretching is also an essential phase, as it increases your flexibility and widens the range of physical activities you can perform without the risk of injury. You can do stretching moves pre- and post-workout. By doing this, you also reduce the possibility of tearing your ligaments in mid-exercise.
Hydration
Observe hydration at all times. Not drinking enough water before and during your workout is like driving a car without gas. Your body can shut down in the middle of exercise if you lack liquid, increasing your risk of injury. The same is true for feeding your body with the necessary nutrients to function well. Athletes generally carbo-load (meaning, they eat foods rich in carbohydrates) at least an hour prior to a rigorous training or workout. In addition, protein-rich food is a good source of nutrients that repair muscle damage.
Rest
One of the most important aspects of any physical activity is rest. Overtraining is not good for the body, as the body needs to regain lost energy. Take enough rest after a workout. Fitness professionals recommend that beginners or people who do medium exercise take a day of rest between workouts, especially if they feel extremely sore or exhausted. This will give your muscle a chance to recover from the pressure of physical activity.