The benefits of daily exercise extend farther than only having good health and a better mood. With other benefits including strengthening your immune system, having a higher quality of life, and having more energy, the benefits of daily exercise greatly outweigh the risks. Although, you should always consider the risks that are involved with exercising so that you can stay safe and healthy. One of the biggest risks associated with exercising is injury. Not only does getting hurt really suck, that injury is also preventing you from continuing to exercise. Some common injuries associated with exercising include muscle cramps, pulled muscles, torn ligaments, sprains, and broken bones. All of those injuries are awful and make life miserable, so here are five tips that will help you avoid getting injured.
1) Drink Water
Hydration is one of the most important factors with injury prevention. First of all, staying hydrated prevents you from becoming dehydrated which can result in any number of injuries, depending on the severity of the dehydration. Our bodies, on average, are about 60% water, so staying hydrated is very important for our overall health. Substituting water for soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, and other drinks that contain water doesn’t count (mostly because of all the extra ingredients added). Second of all, water is a natural lubricant, especially for our bodies. By staying hydrated, this guarantees that your joints and muscles are more lubricated and won’t have issues while you are exercising. This is probably the most important tip to avoid an injury.
2) Warm Up & Stretch
Before you start exercising, it is crucial that you have a proper warm up and stretch. The warm up is important for warming up your muscles and preventing most muscle-related injuries. Warming your muscles up is beneficial for a couple of reasons: it loosens your muscles up so you can get a deeper stretch and it gets blood to the areas of your body that you will be exercising. Stretching is beneficial because it loosens your muscles up more than your warm up did. Loose muscles greatly decrease your chances of pulling a muscle during your workout.
3)Exercise at the Right Intensity
Intensity in a workout is very subjective. The basic rule of thumb for this is to go at your own pace. What one person might deem a high intensity workout may feel like a warm up for someone else. You know the condition of your body the best, so make sure you don’t push it too hard. The intensity you choose can affect your muscles, joints, and consciousness in your workout. If you push yourself too hard, you can pull a muscle even if you properly warmed up and stretched. You can also be too intense for your joints and, in the long run, wear them down quicker than what is natural. Ensuring that you exercise at the right intensity is crucial to avoid getting an injury.
4) Cool Down & Stretch
The cool down is probably most peoples’ favorite part of every workout. Cooling down by slowing your pace and getting your heart rate down is important to avoid muscle cramping and soreness later. The cool down also keeps your muscles warm and loose until your heart rate has slowed down close to your resting heart rate. Every portion of your workout is important so that you don’t get an injury any time before, during, or after.
5) Eat the Right Foods
Eating the correct foods and maintaining a healthy diet is not only good for losing weight and being less moody, the right nutrients also help with your muscle and joint health as well. Nutrition is just as important to your workout and preventing an injury as your warm up is.
Remembering these 5 tips will greatly decrease your chances of getting injured while working out. These tips might add a little more time and planning to your workout schedule everyday, but they are very easy to do and worth it. Nothing is worse than an injury, so let’s work together to stay safe and healthy!
If you do get hurt or need medical attention, call our office at 801-724-9840 to make an appointment with one of our award-winning doctors.