Whether you have just joined your local gym or you’re a hardcore athlete, sports injuries are a major pain for anyone with fitness goals. An injury can have a major impact on your regime and can even put a stop to your exercise plan for a period of time. Besides throwing you off your game, sports injuries can be incredibly painful and debilitating. Here are a few top tips to help you avoid getting injured.
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Set Realistic Targets
Before you even begin exercising, it is a good idea to set realistic goals and create obtainable targets to achieve them. Personal fitness goals often revolve around personal improvement in some way, such as losing weight or gaining the ability to run a marathon. Although these are achievable over time, you need to pace yourself and set sustainable targets in order to reach your goals. Gradual improvement might not be as gratifying as an immediate result. However, getting better over time is much more realistic and sustainable than overnight. By setting several targets and focusing on the journey rather than the end result, you can avoid overworking yourself, developing a sports injury, and becoming demotivated.
Always Warm Up and Cool Down
Both the warm-up and the cool-down stages of a workout are important if you don’t want to end up with muscle soreness or worse. Spending just 10 minutes warming up the muscles and gradually increasing your heart rate will help prepare your body for exercise. After a session, stretching your muscles out and reducing your heart rate at a safe pace can help regulate blood flow and decrease stress on the heart.
Invest in Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is a type of rehabilitation that can help people with sports injuries, disabilities, and illnesses. It is also a good option for people who have had a stroke and wish to regain body movement and function. Physiotherapy treatments are tailored to the individual and can help them overcome personal challenges. Health by Science is based in Edinburgh and offers physiotherapy, as well as personal training and sports massage services. Their physiotherapists can help you achieve your fitness goals and can help you recover if you develop a sports injury.
Wear Suitable Shoes
One of the best preventative ways to avoid injury is by always using the right equipment. This includes matching your footwear with your activity. If your goal is to eventually be able to hike for several days, don a pair of walking shoes that can absorb shock and cushion your feet. Running shoes are created to support runners while their feet are in a forward motion, while golf shoes provide traction to golfers who need extra stability on the green. No matter what activity you do, proper footwear can give you the support you need.
Stay Hydrated
The NHS website states that healthy adults should consume 6 to 8 cups of fluids daily. Staying hydrated can give you the energy you need for exercise and ward off muscle cramps. It is good practice to drink fluids throughout the day rather than drinking excessively during a workout.