The benefits of exercise include less illness, fewer everyday injuries and a longer life. However, exercise injuries are not uncommon and exercising incorrectly increases the risk. Of the injuries possible, back and neck injuries make up a significant part. Here, you will find tips to avoid unnecessary injuries.
The benefits that regular exercise brings as regards your health are enormous. Exercise makes us get sick less often and grants us longer lives. Unfortunately, exercise can also cause injuries and they are common among both regular exercisers and professional athletes. The following simple tips will ensure that you minimize the risk of injury.
Warming up and stretching before exercising
Before you begin an exercise session, you should warm up your body and do some stretching. Many sports injuries are thought to be related to reduced flexibility and warming up and stretching increase your flexibility and significantly reduce the risk or severe injuries.
If you warm up, not only will you be more flexible and reduce the risk of injury, you will also be able to perform better. The reason for this is that warming up gets your blood flow going and your muscles are provided with more oxygen, allowing you to perform from the start.
If you have no previous experience of stretching, it can be a good idea to go to a few classes in the beginning. Even though stretching helps to prevent injuries, if it is done incorrectly it will put pressure on and harm your body. Some things to think about when stretching are:
* Stretch slowly and don’t overdo it.
* Avoid “bouncing” when you stretch.
* Don’t put pressure on twisted joints.
Take care if you are out of shape
If you are out of shape, the risk of injury is greater. Therefore, if you haven't exercised in a while, take it easy and don't exercise so hard during your first session. Begin the session carefully and then work your way up.
In some cases, you might experience problems if you have practiced a lot of a different sports. For example, if you have been skiing all winter, you will probably be in good shape. When the summer arrives, you should be able to run both fast and long, but your body will have adapted to skiing and your risk of injury from running will still be significant.
The right equipment is essential
You shouldn’t be unnecessarily stingy and exercise using bad equipment. The right equipment can make a big difference when it comes to the risk of injury.
A relatively common mistake is to run in unsuitable footwear. This increases the risk of a variety of injuries and should preferably be avoided. Instead, use good running shoes that you have tried out yourself. Go to a sports store where you can try out how they feel when you run and how they support your feet.
It is obvious that protective equipment is a must in contact sports. Padded helmets and elbow, wrist, rib, knee and shin pads, as well as mouth guards, facial protectors and jockstraps are all examples of protective equipment. Special glasses also exist that provide increased safety and durability.
Remember to drink water
Exercising hard, especially in high temperatures and humidity, makes you lose a lot of water. Be aware of dehydration:
* Drink before, during and after exercise.
* Avoid exercise when it is too hot and the humidity is too high.
* Use light clothing when you exercise.
* Take a short break now and again, don't overdo it.
Strain injuries depend on repetitive movements
Repetitive Motion Disorders (RMD) injuries occur when you repeat a movement over and over. An example of this kind of injury is tennis elbow.
The risk of Repetitive Motion Disorders (RMD) injuries can be reduced by:
* Taking a break now and again.
* Move in the right way. Feel free to consult a personal trainer, as it can be difficult to spot what you are doing wrong on your own.
* Go to a doctor if you feel pain, inflammation, swelling, aching and other problems.
* Use a variety of exercises so that you use your entire body.
Watch out for over exercising
If you don’t rest and recuperate between hard exercise sessions, you can be liable to over exercise. Symptoms of over exercising include pain, fatigue, lack of energy and worsened exercising performance. The risks of this can be reduced by:
* Eating a balanced, healthy diet.
* Ensuring your body gets to rest and sleep well.
* Be observant and catch symptoms early.
* Use a variety of exercise techniques.
* Don’t exercise if you are not feeling well – get some rest instead.
* Don’t increase your exercise too quickly.
Cooling down
Towards the end of a workout, you should cool down. Don’t overdo it, but jog carefully and, in the same way that you did stretching as part of the warm up, do some more now.
Cooling down for 10-15 minutes is a reasonable period for light exercise. If you have a build up of lactic acid, you should do at least 20 minutes of cooling down. This will ensure that all the waste products are carried away.
Don't exercise if you are unwell
If you feel poorly or think you might be getting a virus, you should avoid exercise. This also applies if you are feeling weak or exhausted. The risks involved in exercising when you are ill include cardiac inflammation and arrhythmia, which can be very serious.
Of course, the same is also true if you are injured. Exercise may still be possible and even good for you, however, it must be suitable for your injury and it is best to consult a physical therapist or other specialist, first.
Healthy lifestyle
A general healthy lifestyle will give you better results and minimize the risk of injury and illness.
* Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol.
* Eat healthy and balanced diet.
* Ensure you get as much sleep as you need.
* Avoid stress.
* Ensure you receive the appropriate care for any illnesses you may suffer from.
Back Pain Healers provides explanations of the reasons behind back pain and sleep disorders. We help people to minimize their discomfort by offering high-quality, market-leading products such as TENS Units and EMS Machines
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