If you’ve finally got round to creating a workout routine, the last thing you want is an injury. Injuries can be painful, and they can disrupt your everyday life. They take time to recover from and continuing with your exercise plan could be tricky. There are several steps you can take to avoid injury when working out.
Warm Up and Cool Down
Whatever exercise you’re undertaking, it is important to warm up properly. If done correctly, it will prevent certain injuries and also make your workout more effective. Warming up prepares your body for the activity. It triggers your heart and cardiovascular system and increases blood flow to the muscles. Following your warm-up, it is also important to do some gentle stretches. This will help to elongate the muscles before your workout.
Cooling down at the end of your exercising is equally as important. It allows your heart rate and blood pressure to return to normal gradually.
This advice is not limited to gym-goers. It is important for all exercises.
Eating Right
Eating the right food can also help you to avoid injuries. And where injury occurs, it can help you to heal quickly. Supplements from natural sources such as L-Arginine may be beneficial as they have healing properties.
Work to Your Body’s Strengths
When working out, it is important to work to your body’s strengths. You should get to know any weak areas and limitations. For example, if you have problems with your knees, then you should avoid exercises that will put pressure on your knee joints. Instead, find exercises that won’t strain these areas.
Build Up Slowly
Don’t do too much too soon. When we exercise our brain releases endorphins which make us feel good. Working out can be a rush. When you’re in the zone, it’s natural that you want to continue. And you may be impatient to see results. Don’t rush things. Start small and build up slowly. Increase your strength and stamina over time.
It is also important that you don’t work out too much. Your whole body needs time to recover. Three or four times a week should be sufficient.
Work With a Trainer
For the best results work with a personal trainer. He or she will be able to create an exercise plan that it targeted to you and your needs. They will be able to assess your strengths and weaknesses and design a plan to enable you to achieve your goals.
Also, when you get started, they will work with you to ensure you are completing the exercises correctly. They will check that your positioning and technique are correct. Sometimes we don’t notice if our technique is wrong. This results in undue strain in the wrong areas which can then cause injury.
Vary Exercises
To avoid too much strain on a particular area of the body, try to vary your activities. Repetition on a particular muscle group may cause discomfort and pain. Give these areas a rest, while you focus on other areas of the body. It is important that allow your body to rest and recover and not overwork it.
Following these few tips will help you to avoid painful injuries. They will also ensure you get the most our of your workouts.
