As fitness buffs and exercise junkies, we often get pumped at the single glance of a Shape or Bodybuilding magazine, feeling a rush of adrenaline surge through our veins while envisioning ourselves to be just as fit and healthy as the cover model.
But getting in shape doesn't come without it's share of bruises and injuries: a pulled muscle, strained ligament, and tendinitis are just a few of the most common injuries occurred during a workout.
Before you start any workout, complete these steps to save yourself the pain of an unnecessary injury.
Warm-up and cool-down. Despite common belief, warming up your muscle before rigorously exerting them is equally important as the workout itself. A proper warm-up loosens your cold, tight muscles and safely elevates your heart rate. You can warm-up by:
- Jog lightly on the treadmill for 5 – 10 minutes
- Ride a stationary bike at moderate pace for 5 – 10 minutes
- Jump rope, do push-ups, or jumping jacks 100 times
A cool-down is necessary in order to give your elevated heart rate a chance to bring itself back to a normal pace (this is especially true if you've just completed a cardio workout). Simply exhaling deeply and slowly while walking for 5 – 10 minutes is enough to bring your heart rate back to normal levels.
Stretching. Another activity most avid exercisers often skip is stretching those muscle. Stretching allows your body to be more flexible during your workout. When your muscles are tight, they're more prone to injury due to being incapable of maneuvering quickly and effectively. Stretching is best performed after your warm-up but before your main workout–never stretch cold muscles.
Take it easy. We've all seen that photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Universe, and sometimes we allow that fantasy to motivate us into pushing harder. But such a motivator can sometimes do more harm than good. When committing yourself to staying fit, it then becomes a lifelong endeavor, not a fling. Ease into it. Take your time. Build up your muscles. Once you feel confident enough, take your workouts to the next level.
Remedying injuries. The terminology “no pain, no gain” is rarely the correct way to tailor your workouts. Pushing your body beyond its limits can lead to serious injury. The best start to curing an injury is to:
Not work that particular muscle for at least 2 weeks post injury (or cease to workout at all until the injury is healed). Giving the necessary time for your body to health is extremely important. If you don't, some injuries may become permanent
Apply ice and heat to the location of the injury, rotating each every 20 minutes every other day
If swelling has arisen, keep the injured muscle elevated if possible to reducing swelling.
R.I.C.E is an acronym mainly suited for professional and minor athletes, which stands for rest, ice, compression, elevate, but can be utilized by anyone engaging in exerting physical activities. If done early on, this method can mitigate the severity of the injury, as well as the pain.
At the end of the day, it's always better to play it safe rather than push your body past its limits and suffer an injury. Perform these quick and easy steps before each workout and you'll drastically lessen the possibility of an exercise injury.
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