Working out while staying injury free can be tough, especially if you’ve been working out for a while. Chances are, at some point, you’ll experience an injury that takes you out of action for a little bit. If you have existing injuries, you don’t want to aggravate them by working out, either. The pointers here will help you to stay injury free for good, so you don’t have to worry about taking time away from your healthy lifestyle:
Do A Dynamic Warm Up
Lots of people make the mistake of stretching to warm up. Stretching can actually be detrimental to your body if you haven’t started your work out yet. You don’t want to stretch a muscle that hasn’t been worked, as it could actually cause injury and pain on the spot. Instead, do a dynamic warm up. Jog on the spot, do some star jumps, maybe a little rowing. Get your body moving and your heart rate up.
Wear The Right Clothing
If you’re not wearing the right clothing, you’re going to struggle to get the most out of your workout. You don’t want to wear baggy clothes in the gym, as they can get caught in machinery and become a bit of a hazard. However, you can wear free flowing clothes to yoga, as they are often more comfortable. Wearing the right shoes to take care of your feet is a must too, and things like BioPods can help to take the pressure off. Make sure your clothing fits you properly and that you feel as comfortable as possible.
Always Practice Correct Form
Correct form is far more important than weight or speed. Make sure you’re running with correct form, and lifting weights with correct form. Start with bodyweight movements and go from there. There are a ton of videos on this so you can perfect your form before going heavier – never be an egotistical person in the gym!
Stretch When You’re Finished
You can stretch when you’ve finished your workout to help your muscles to recover. Stretch it out and shake it off. You can even use a foam roller to help muscles relax.
If In Pain, Stop Immediately
There’s good ‘working your muscles hard pain’ and bad ‘something isn’t right’ pain. You should know the difference between the two, and stop immediately if you experience the bad pain.
Know How To Deal With Pain At Home
If you do experience pain, take a few days off, and make sure you use hot and cold therapy to ease your muscles. See a doctor if pain persists – working out while in pain will make things so much worse.
Eat Right
Eating right helps to fuel your body, and you recover faster too. Make sure you're getting all of your micronutrients and eating well 80% of the time, at least.
De-stress At Home
Getting enough sleep and rest is crucial for your physical and mental health. Take the time to de-stress at home, pamper yourself, and work on getting 8 hours a night (or however much you need as an individual – it varies from person to person).
[…] When you get a sports injury you need to be careful about how you deal with it. If you don’t take the right steps, you can easily end up making it worse and putting yourself out of action long term. Obviously, the first thing you should do is see a doctor and get their advice on the injury. They’ll likely tell you that you need to rest up and avoid any strenuous activity for a certain amount of time. It’s vital that you take their advice on board and resist the temptation to get back into sport too early, even if the injury feels as though it’s healed. If your body isn’t ready, you’ll end up getting injured again. […]