Exercise: Are You Risking Injury?

Exercise has never been more of a hot topic - everyone wants to get fit, get healthy and get active. Well, maybe not everyone, but there certainly are plenty of people out there doing their best to try to counteract the harmful effects of our modern, sedentary lifestyle.

This is great to see; the more effort you put into your fitness regime, the more you’ll get out of it. But while taking an interest in physical activity is undoubtedly a great thing, for the inexperienced and uninitiated it can also place you at risk of a number of significant injuries. From minor sprains and bruises to broken bones and concussions, sports injuries run the gamut in severity. In the worst cases they can leave a person debilitated for some time. This could lead to an impact on your ability to work as well as your mental and financial state. Not to mention the downtime you’ll be forced to take which will ensure that you won’t get any physical activity done at all!

We all want to be able to get some exercise safely and happily, so take a look at my tips for minimizing the risk of sporting injury.

Safety Equipment

This is going to depend a great deal on exactly which sport you’re taking part in, but no matter what it is it’s important to dress for the occasion. That means getting outfitted with the right kit that’s been designed to protect against the risks you’re going to encounter.

This will vary hugely depending on what you're doing. For something as simple as jogging, safety equipment isn’t going to extend much further than having a pair of good quality runners with good support for your feet. You might want to supplement this with a water bottle to protect against dehydration, and why not throw in an iPod to protect against boredom? That’s about all you’ll need to stay safe on the jogging track.

On the other end of the risk spectrum we have dangerous contact sports such as Rugby and high speed motorsports such as car racing. These riskier forms of exercise will need a larger investment in safety equipment. Some products to consider while undertaking such sports are mouth guards, shinpads, ankle braces, and appropriate headgear such as helmets and protective clothing.

In contact and high speed sports head protection is particularly important. Research into the long term effects of concussion have shown it to be a far more pressing issue than once thought. Many Rugby players choose to wear padded skull caps to give themselves some protection for head injury, while helmets are common protective gear in cricket, hockey, baseball, American football and many others. Always wear the correct protective equipment designed for your sport.

Hydration

The importance of staying hydrated while undergoing physical activity can’t be overstated. Make sure whatever your activity is that you’re well provided for in the H2O department.

Something to keep in mind about hydration are sports drinks. You know the sort, with names like Berry Ice or Mountain Crush. While these drinks do contain electrolytes and can be beneficial for athletes involved in very intensive exercise, for the average Joe they’re better avoided. This is because far more than electrolytes,  sport drinks contain huge amounts of sugar, comparable in fact to soft drinks. Consuming too much of them can undo all the good your exercise is doing you, flooding your body with unnecessary sugar. Your best bet by far is to drink water. If you’re doing extremely strenuous exercise and need to replace salts, there are ways to get them into your body without accompanying them with spoonfuls of sugar.

Warm Up

There’s some debate over the benefits of warming up before exercise, with some claiming it’s not necessary. While I'm not here to make any spurious claims about the truth of that or not, in my opinion it’s important to properly warm up before exercise.

Why is that? Stretching and light exercise help get your body ready for intense activity by increasing blood flow to the muscles. This ‘warms up’ your body, increases performance and helps to prevent injury as you won’t be stretching cold, stiff muscles in ways that are too much for them to take. While warming up isn’t a guarantee against strains and pulls, it is a good starting point.

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle While Injured

If worse comes to worst and an injury does occur, it’s important not to put undue strain on the injured appendage before recovery is complete. This might mean changing up your exercise regime somewhat during rehab, but it doesn’t mean you have to give it up entirely. Try exercising in a way that allows the injury to rest but still enables you to work up a sweat and get your heart pumping. For example if you injure your wrist, try jogging instead of lifting weights. Keeping up some form of exercise will ensure that you don't lose conditioning and don’t have to start from scratch when you’re back to health.

Exercise is important in any healthy lifestyle, and the benefits can be more than just physical. Healthy levels of activity are linked to a better frame of mind and greater levels of happiness, making it a boon in all aspects of your life. Ensuring that you get the exercise your body craves, and yet don’t push it past its limits, can sometimes be a fine line, so taking the time to properly prepare is very important. Warm up, wear the proper safety equipment, stay hydrated and look after your body. Reap the benefits.