While it’s important to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s also equally as important to look after your body and avoid an injury. Getting injured can not only break your workout routine but it can cause long term damage to your body too. To help keep yourself safe, we’ve put together some helpful injury prevention tips you can follow to help prevent getting injured and stick to your training plan.
1. Warm Up Properly
It can be tempting to launch straight into your workout, especially if you don’t have much time. But it’s critical that you put the effort into following a proper warm up to increase your body’s core temperature and blood flow to your muscles. You may also find that it helps to get you in the right mental state for the exercise to follow. Aim to spend around five to ten minutes warming up before you move on.
Here are some good warm up activity ideas you can use the next time you’re working out:
- Marching on the spot
- Knee lifts
- Shoulder rolls
- Squats
- Side lunges
One easy way to warm up is to cycle, walk or run to some local outdoor gym equipment. Then by the time you arrive, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running and will have lowered your risk of injury.
2. Dress For the Occasion
2. Dress For the OccasionWhen it comes to refreshing your wardrobe, your workout kit may not be top of your list but it’s a good idea to make sure you’re using the right attire and gear when exercising. When purchasing new trainers or pair of running shoes, it’s worth going into your local sportswear shop and talking to the experts for advice on the right shoes. They can help you to pick the right option for your planned exercise and some can even evaluate how you move your body to find the perfect shoe.
The same goes for your clothes, you want to make sure you’re wearing breathable fabrics which allow you to freely move your body. And if you’re ever outside exercising during the evening or night – don’t forget your high vis!
3. Stay Hydrated
Whether it’s the middle of summer or winter, you should always make sure you’re drinking plenty of water. As you sweat, your body loses fluid and so you need to replace the fluids to prevent fatigue and other health issues. You should also pay attention to your diet, carbohydrates can provide energy for your workouts and help you to recover afterwards too. Protein is also effective at repairing and building your muscles. If you want to look at this seriously, you could speak to a sports nutritionist for a tailored food plan.
4. Cross Train
Another way to help prevent yourself from getting injured is to keep changing up your exercise routine and following different exercises. If you target the same muscle group every time you workout, you are more likely to cause a strain and hurt yourself. It can also help you to stay motivated and engaged with your workouts. You should also ensure that you are using the proper technique when trying out new exercises as this will reduce your risk of injury further.
5. Rest and Recover
As much as you may want to stay on track with your fitness plan, you need to listen to your body and watch out for the signs that you need a break. If you’re starting to feel achy in a particular place more frequently or start to experience pain, alter your routine to give that area a break. And if you fall ill, take a few days away from your workouts to give yourself the time you need to make a full recovery. In fact, many trainers will recommend that you include rest days in your plan to allow your body the time to recover.
By following the above tips you should be more equipped to keep your body fit and healthy while enjoying your favourite exercise routines. Remember to always seek medical advice from a professional if you should ever badly injure yourself or feel serious pain.