Along with a nutritious diet, exercise is the best way to stay healthy and prolong your life. Just thirty minutes of physical activity each day is sufficient to ward off illness, maintain strength and aerobic fitness, and keep your mental health in good condition. And anyone can do it. You don’t have to be a CrossFit expert or marathon runner to enjoy the benefits of exercise.
There are so many forms of exercise for all abilities and preferences. So it doesn’t matter whether you’re a walker, runner, cyclist, footballer, or weightlifter: your chosen workout regime will make you feel fantastic in both body and mind.
But although exercise is excellent for your body, as with any form of physical activity there is a risk of injury. If you train too hard or with an improper technique, you could end up with all kinds of sprains, strains, and pains.
But with a little planning and understanding of your body, you can avoid unexpected disasters and make the most of your workouts. To help you along your fitness journey, here are four tips to prevent injury when exercising.
Learn good form
No matter what exercise you do, there are examples of good form and bad form. When running, for example, you should adopt an upright posture and ensure you are striking the ground with the middle of your foot. If you are hunched over with a heavy heel strike, you could end up with a sore back and knee problems. Before you start your course of exercise, it’s a good idea to read up on the subject. This way, you can familiarize yourself with the right techniques and strategies to succeed without injury. You could even hire a personal trainer or sports coach to give you a push in the right direction.
Warm-up
Warming up is key to protecting your body from the impact of exercise. Instead of jumping straight into your workout, start slowly with a brisk walk or a few dynamic stretches. This will get your blood flowing, warm up your stiff muscles, make you more flexible, and help you avoid any nasty injuries. Make sure you also end each workout with a gentle cool down to bring your heart rate and body temperature back down to normal levels.
Cross-train
Only focusing on one specific sport makes you more likely to put too much impact on certain muscles and joints. Therefore, it’s a good idea to cross-train with a few different types of exercise that work different parts of the body. For example, if you mostly do aerobic exercises like running and cycling, try to mix things up with a bit of strength training. Try this push pull routine for legs from Steel Supplements to get you started.
Listen to your body
The most common cause of sports injury is overtraining. Perhaps you run too many miles in a given week or attempt to lift a weight that is beyond your ability. Of course, you need to push yourself to a certain degree to reap the benefits, but make sure you listen to your body and work within your abilities.
Leave a Reply