Avoiding injuries
Exercising is a great way to keep yourself fit and healthy, but there is also a risk of injury in the process. However, if you follow some basic guidelines while exercising, and stay within your physical limits, you can ensure that you’ll have an enjoyable and safe workout.
Warm ups:
Warm ups are very essential… this cannot be stressed on enough. Starting an exercise routine without warm ups can be very damaging to your body and may cause a major injury in the process.
It is always advisable to do some relatively gentle exercise to warm up your muscles, so that they’ll be less exposed to damage that may occur during exercises. Also, they’ll ensure that the muscles get more flexible and agile.
Just spend a few minutes getting warmed up that’s it. About 5 to 10 minutes should do. Stretch your muscles and other soft tissues. This will prepare your body for the more rigorous exercise later on that will follow, and help you go for a longer period of time without feeling tired or fatigued.
The right Gear:
Fitness wear is very important. Only if you are at ease and comfortable with what you’re wearing,you can perform to your optimum potential.
The right shoes are vital. They must be suited to the type of exercise that you are doing and also should fit you properly. When buying a pair of fitness shoes, always consult with the staff at a sports equipment store, and ask for their advice. The wrong type of shoes can lead to sprains and even long-term injury.
Clothes, too, must be comfortable, loose-fitting, made out of a fabric that absorbs sweat, like cotton. Very tight fitting clothes can be uncomfortable and don’t give you the freedom to stretch your body properly and extremely loose clothes can get in the way or your workout that will hamper you routine.
Don’t compromise when it comes to fitness wear and this will determine you comfort level and your ability to complete your routine in the most complete manner.
Cool down:
Don’t come to a sudden halt in between strenuous workouts. This causes the blood to pool in your leg veins, and can leave you feeling dizzy and you may faint because of that. Give time for the lactic acid being produced by your muscles during vigorous activity to be cleared by finishing your session with a few minutes of gentle exercise after exercise warming.
Change and Alternate:
It is a good idea if you combine strenuous activity with something that is comparatively less physically demanding this balances you entire routine and gives you the maximum output from you work out. This lessens your chances of over-exerting yourself and causing you harm in the process, and gives your body more time to recover from stints of intense activity.
Stop when it starts hurting:
If exercising starts to hurt, stop until the pain has completely gone away. Saying like ‘no pain, no gain’ should be ignored, since they make you push yourself beyond your physical limits and that will be not a good sign for you… which isn’t a good thing, after all. If you experience physical discomfort and things like dizziness, faintness, nausea, loss of breath etc, please visit your doctor right away.
Also, avoid exercising when you are unwell or sick because that is the time your body is at your weakest.
By Marcelo Azavedo
