Injuries apart from causing discomfort and disruption to training, can increase the chances for developing further injuries down the line. The following are 10 simple ways to avoid injury:
1) Warm up: Get the joints moving. Simple exercises such as shoulder rolls, neck rolls, hip circles, ankle circles, wrist circles, bending the knees and rolling down the spine is a good start. One needs to gently warm up to get the circulation going into the muscles so that the stretching of muscles occurs safely. This should take about 10 minutes.
If your calf muscles are tight, you risk damaging the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle; if your hamstrings are tight, you risk hurting your back; if your arms and shoulders are tight, you risk a rotator cuff injury.
2) Cool down: You need to stretch after a strenuous activity to lengthen the muscle groups again after contraction otherwise over time one looses flexibility, mobility and optimum muscle movement resulting in increased susceptibility to injuries.
3) Rest and recovery: This is an often overlooked aspect. Rest is essential as over-training will cause repetitive strain injuries. Often occurs when people often take up a sporting hobby and over-do it. The muscles need time to repair and recover. Therefore, rest is an important part of ones training schedule.
4) Cross train: Try to do different activities each day. This uses different muscle groups thereby improving overall muscle status and furthermore, is as good as a rest for those muscle groups not being overly used. So if you play tennis one day, try yoga the next day, swimming the next and so forth.
5) Choose wisely: People wrongly think that high intensity, high impact classes such as boot camps offers better and quicker results. Unfit, overweight or beginners at this classes inevitably end up with injuries by putting more stress on the muscles than can be handled.
Always start with low impact, low intensity exercise aimed at your level of fitness and then increase the intensity when you get fitter.
6) Correct nutrition: Eat well. Food is the fuel that the body needs and it is important to eat the right food in the right amounts for ensuring that the muscles have the fuel for optimum performance as well as nutrients required during recovery.
Furthermore, important to be well hydrated.
7) Correct clothing: Footwear is a vital consideration: the right size, fit and style for ones chosen activity. They should provide good arch support and should be changed regularly for maximum support and grip.
8) Pace yourself: You need to allow time to progress towards your fitness goal. Training harder when your body is not fit for it will result in injuries. If one is lifting weights, lift lighter weights to begin with, or perhaps do fewer repetitions, or exercise for a shorter period of time. This is where cross-training helps as one is still doing some form of exercise each day but varying.
9) Listen to your body: Your body will tell you when you are over-doing it but it is up to you to listen and hear it. Pain is a sign that something is wrong and at this point, physical activity should stop. Note that even post exercise muscle soreness should be mild.
10) Health checks: Prior to taking up any intense activity/sport for the first time, it is advisable to seek medical advise especially if you suffer from any chronic medical condition.
1) Warm up: Get the joints moving. Simple exercises such as shoulder rolls, neck rolls, hip circles, ankle circles, wrist circles, bending the knees and rolling down the spine is a good start. One needs to gently warm up to get the circulation going into the muscles so that the stretching of muscles occurs safely. This should take about 10 minutes.
If your calf muscles are tight, you risk damaging the Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle; if your hamstrings are tight, you risk hurting your back; if your arms and shoulders are tight, you risk a rotator cuff injury.
2) Cool down: You need to stretch after a strenuous activity to lengthen the muscle groups again after contraction otherwise over time one looses flexibility, mobility and optimum muscle movement resulting in increased susceptibility to injuries.
3) Rest and recovery: This is an often overlooked aspect. Rest is essential as over-training will cause repetitive strain injuries. Often occurs when people often take up a sporting hobby and over-do it. The muscles need time to repair and recover. Therefore, rest is an important part of ones training schedule.
4) Cross train: Try to do different activities each day. This uses different muscle groups thereby improving overall muscle status and furthermore, is as good as a rest for those muscle groups not being overly used. So if you play tennis one day, try yoga the next day, swimming the next and so forth.
5) Choose wisely: People wrongly think that high intensity, high impact classes such as boot camps offers better and quicker results. Unfit, overweight or beginners at this classes inevitably end up with injuries by putting more stress on the muscles than can be handled.
Always start with low impact, low intensity exercise aimed at your level of fitness and then increase the intensity when you get fitter.
6) Correct nutrition: Eat well. Food is the fuel that the body needs and it is important to eat the right food in the right amounts for ensuring that the muscles have the fuel for optimum performance as well as nutrients required during recovery.
Furthermore, important to be well hydrated.
7) Correct clothing: Footwear is a vital consideration: the right size, fit and style for ones chosen activity. They should provide good arch support and should be changed regularly for maximum support and grip.
8) Pace yourself: You need to allow time to progress towards your fitness goal. Training harder when your body is not fit for it will result in injuries. If one is lifting weights, lift lighter weights to begin with, or perhaps do fewer repetitions, or exercise for a shorter period of time. This is where cross-training helps as one is still doing some form of exercise each day but varying.
9) Listen to your body: Your body will tell you when you are over-doing it but it is up to you to listen and hear it. Pain is a sign that something is wrong and at this point, physical activity should stop. Note that even post exercise muscle soreness should be mild.
10) Health checks: Prior to taking up any intense activity/sport for the first time, it is advisable to seek medical advise especially if you suffer from any chronic medical condition.
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