People who make the leap to begin a fitness regimen, or take their existing routine to the next level, are at a very high risk for a fitness injury. Many times, adrenaline takes over and these individuals push their bodies just a little too hard.
These injuries often do more psychological harm than physical damage. Muscle pulls and tendonitis are not terribly serious wounds. However, they often cause people to second-guess whether their activity level is appropriate. In their confusion and panic, they sometimes scale back their exercise, which is not a good thing.
So, it’s important for everyone, especially beginners and exercise upgraders, to prevent fitness injuries. Prevention is a lot easier than a cure.
Establish Fitness Goals
People who want to be on magazine covers will have radically different exercise approaches than people who want to walk unassisted when they’re 60 or go to a local swimming pool without being embarrassed with the way their bodies look. Defining these goals, and modifying them as necessary, makes the other steps easier.
Avoid Your Weaknesses
Many times, it’s tempting to do the opposite. For example, people with bad knees perform leg presses to strengthen this joint, or someone with weak wrists is determined to lift weights.
You may not need to avoid these areas altogether. Just take it extra slow. Start with a minimal number of reps and a minimal amount of weight. Then, build up slowly. Instead of adding about ten percent to the weight or number of reps a month, add about five percent a month. At the first sign of injury, temporarily scale back your activities.
Be Aware Of Gender Issues
Women are naturally better at some activities than men and vice versa, simply because their bodies are built differently from one another.
Most men respond very well to unidirectional exercises, such as weight lifting and push-ups. Women, on the other hand, are usually more flexible and therefore do well with Pilates and yoga. Of course, women can lift weights and men can do yoga. They just need to be more careful.
In terms of sports injuries, women are much more prone to serious knee injuries, like an anterior cruciate ligament tear, than men. That’s especially true in sports which require lots of sudden movements; for example, basketball and tennis players often run full speed then stop on a dime.
Use A Preventative Brace
Many athletes do not like wearing even a lightweight brace because they sincerely believe that it diminishes their performance. That’s probably not the case, but many times, perception and reality are the same thing.
This concern should not apply with regard to fitness injuries. In this realm, most people are not competing against anyone other than themselves. Moreover, fitness goals are usually rather modest. So, even if there is some performance dip, it shouldn’t have an adverse effect.
An ankle brace is the best place to start. Most people wear thick socks during exercise, so a thin extra layer will not be noticeable. Such braces offer tremendous support and greatly reduce the risk of nagging ankle injuries.
Partner With A Trainer
Especially if you work out at a gym or fitness club which includes a couple of consultations in the membership dues, take advantage of someone else’s expertise.
Almost no one can pick up a guitar and become a rock star overnight without at least a lesson or two. In the same way, a trainer can point out some age and gender-appropriate exercises considering your background and fitness goals. Once the two of you formulate a plan, it’s up to you to put that plan into motion.
Take some time to prevent fitness injuries because there is almost always a significant return on the investment.
I hope you enjoyed this article about how to avoid fitness injuries and pain while staying on a budget.
Interested in more articles about frugal sports medicine?
Read My Posts:
- How To Prevent 5 Common Workplace Injuries
- Exercises To Help You Recover From Athletic Injury
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