Exercising Right: Importance
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Working out has so many benefits such as physiological well-being and positive mental health. But the one factor that stops people from exercising regularly is the fear of injury.
Beginners have an overriding fear of landing an injury. Even novices are prone to work out injury. Keeping yourself safe is your duty to your body, and your health. Here are some tips which will ensure that exercising is all about gain without pain.
Steps You Need To Take
Seek Advice
Visiting a personal trainer or a coach before you start an exercise program or proceed to the next level of exertion, whether aerobic or anaerobic is a sound move.
Getting critical advice on how to get started or accomplish your goal without injury is an aim in itself. A personal trainer or coach can guide you through the process given his or her wealth of experience.
Warm Up, Stay Cool
Working out when muscles are cold can prove lethal. Increase the warmth of your body and enhance its core temperature with blood flowing to the muscles. Warming up not only prevents injuries, it also prepares people for the workout ahead.
Cross Train, Try Out Multiple Exercises
Rather than sticking to cardiovascular exercises or weights, try a combination of both to avoid hitting the plateau. Your muscles will not only get a break from the same routine, so will your metabolic rate. Research has proved that switching daily exercises can increase fat burning.
Learn Your Limits
Another important point to remember is that you need to be smart about training. If you could exercise in a certain way 10 to 20 years ago, it may not be possible to do so now or even feasible 5 years from now.
Injuries occur when people push their bodies to the extreme. Increasing the time and intensity of the workout in the right way can prevent injuries.
Wear Proper Workout Attire
In case you are planning to workout, you need the right shoes and workout clothes. Consider footwear for instance. The shoes should suit your weight, arch and walking gait because wearing the wrong footwear can lead to a lot of injuries without your realising it, even.
Clean Nutrition and a Balanced Diet Works Wonders
Eating a balanced diet and hydrating by drinking enough fluids can act as a safeguard against injuries. How so? Well, consider that protein is the building block of the human body and you can repair muscle tears and regain strength after exertion with this nutrient.
Carbohydrates revitalise the body through glycogen stores for recovery and the coming workout. Eating the right food can prevent injury so work with a sports nutritionist to be clear about how to stay fit and fine during your workouts.
Core Muscles Should be Exercised
Include strength training and core workouts in your regimen as this can help you to keep a strong and fit body and avoid injuries. Muscles well balanced by a strong core will ensure that the body does not wear down.
Rest and recovery are as important as activity and exercise. Ensure that your body is making good gains during the time.
Stretch Before Your Workout
Prior to a workout, stretching your muscles will reduce immobility. Stretch your muscles even if they are not going to be used. Just a few minutes of stretching both before and after the workout, injury can be avoided.
Hear What Your Body Says
Working out despite the pain is a very bad idea. Find out what is causing the pain. If it is a cramp, you need to stretch. In case it is a muscle strain, you need adequate rest and recovery if you want to benefit from the exercise without injuring yourself.
Sleep Well, Rest Your Body
The human body has a remarkable mechanism while sleeping. It digests food and heals itself. Get plenty of rest to workout during the day. Without sleep, your body will not get a chance to repair and recover from it.
Watch Out For Your Achilles Heels
A good way to avoid fitness injuries is to know the limits of your endurance. For instance, if you have a knee problem, don’t use a stepper or a treadmill or do leg presses as this can further aggravate the condition. Try a stationary bike or elliptical machine instead.
Those with a bad back should avoid back stretches, while weak wrists cause weight lifting to become a source of disaster. Joining an indoor cycling class is a no-no if you are facing hip problems.
Be Your Age
Fitness amnesia may occur when people feel they are younger while exercising, despite the advancing years. Doing too much too quickly can have a disastrous impact on your health and wellbeing. Injuries are the end result when you don’t know where to stop.
Be Clear What Muscles Are Prone to Injury
If you are not clear about which joints and muscles are prone to injury, chances are high that you will end up injured! Different sports activities are associated with different types of injuries. Here are the most common types of injuries you can be prone to while working out:
- Neck sprain
- Knee Ligament tears
- Pulled hamstrings
- Elbow and shoulder overuse injuries
- Strained hamstring and plantar fasciitis
- Back injuries
- Hernia
Don’t Think Big Without Starting Small
Never begin your workout with maximum effort lifts or long bouts of cardiovascular exercise. Muscles need to be acclimatised to the movement pattern at a more gradual intensity before getting ready for more intense stuff.
If It’s Broken, Fix It
A more common mistake that people make while getting injured is that they do not take the trouble to fix it. If you have faced cramps, doing dynamic stretching (exercising muscles you use in your workout) can work wonders.
Don’t Work Out Alone
Have a workout buddy who can help you while lifting heavy weights. Spotters can help because:
- They make sure you use correct form
- They ensure weights do not fall on you
- They inspire you to aim higher
Conclusion
Working out is a great way to stay fit and boost feel-good endorphins in your body. But the stress and trauma of an injury can turn even avid fitness freaks into couch potatoes. So exercise carefully, because if you go wrong, you have a lot more to lose than a muscle.