Top Ten Tips To Prevent Injury While Exercising

How To Prevent Injury While Exercising

Injuries while exercising are a very common occurrence. They happen when you overestimate your body’s limit. You must prevent injury while exercising if you wish to get the most out of your exercises and meet your fitness goals.

Some examples of exercise-related injuries include:

1. Strains: You can strain the muscles or tendons that connect your muscles to your bones.
2. Sprains: These are injuries to ligaments which connect bones.
3. Torn ACL or meniscus tear of the knee: This happens when you rip one of the ligaments that stabilize the knee or the cartilage that shields the knee joint.
4. Tendinitis: This is an inflammation of the tendon that occurs mostly due to overuse.
5. Rotator cuff tears: This occurs when you tear the muscles and tendons that hold the arm in the shoulder socket.

The treatments for these injuries depend on their severity; some of them can be easily managed with enough bed rest, while others may require physical rehabilitation. The most important thing is that you learn to avoid any of these exercise-related injuries by following these safety tips.

Choose your workout program carefully

This is probably the most important thing you need to consider, especially if you have any underlying health conditions. Older people, people with bone diseases like arthritis, osteoporosis, and rheumatism should not be doing any high impact exercises as they will only aggravate their condition. Know which program is more suitable to your body type and health before you begin.

Use the proper form

Most exercise-related injuries come from exercising with bad form. Before you begin any workout, learn the correct forms, so you don’t hurt yourself. If you are a beginner, you should be working with a trainer to tailor a workout program more suitable for you and to show you the correct forms.

Read More: Five Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight

Buy the right gear

There are gears for different workouts. Your clothing should be loose or comfortable enough to allow easy movement and breathing. Runners should invest in comfortable shoes that give excellent support and absorb shock to the heel.

Always warm-up

Don’t make the mistake of jumping into your routine without warming up your muscles first. Cold muscles are more prone to injuries due to stiffness. Warm-ups should be active; that is, you can walk or do dynamic stretches. Don’t warm up in a passive position like assuming a stretch position and holding it, as it can tear your muscle.

Start slowly

Don’t make the mistake of starting a new workout from mid or high intensity. To prevent injury while exercising, start from the lowest speed or intensity and gradually work your way up when your body feels ready. Pushing your body to jump right in the thick of things puts you at risk of injury.

Stay hydrated

You lose body fluids when you work out, which means you need to replenish. Drink a glass of water before your exercise, and try to take a few sips of water during rest intervals throughout your routine.

Vary your workouts

Try to alternate your workouts with other programs to exercise different muscle groups, allow your body to rest between workout sessions, prevent boredom, and remove the risk of hitting a plateau.

Know when to stop

Listen to your body when it begins to give you signs that it is tired. Pushing yourself to the point of pain is one of the major causes of exercise-related injuries. Exercise is not meant to hurt, so when you begin to feel pain stop immediately.

Cool off after each exercise

Don’t abruptly stop your workout. To prevent injury while exercising, ease your body into rest by cooling off with stretches or a gentle walk for at least 5-10 minutes.

Talk to your doctor

Run your workout programs by your doctor. They will help you determine if you are fit enough to try them or if you need modifications. If you feel dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath while working out, you should also seek medical attention to be sure that it is safe enough for you.

You can maximize your workout programs to reach your fitness goals by exercising smart and safe. Sometimes, the simplest exercises can give you the best results.

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