Injury Prevention
Injuries are inevitable when it comes to physical activity. I always talk about the benefits of frequent exercise, but the more you exercise, the more you may become injured, and often, many injuries result from too much activity. So, it is essential to exercise often but allow your body sufficient time to recover.
If your goal is to increase your activity level, it is important to understand common types of injuries and how to prevent them from occurring. While it is necessary to understand injury prevention, you must also explore the behavior that causes injuries, such as improper stretching techniques, inadequate muscle strength, and poor shoe support. So, to minimize or prevent injuries, work on your flexibility with proper posture and body alignment while stretching. It would help if you also built your muscular strength and endurance by working opposing muscle groups such as triceps and biceps. One of the most important things you can do to prevent injury is to select the appropriate shoe based on your workout type. For example, if you’re jogging, you should wear running shoes. If you’re doing aerobics, research the best shoes for aerobic dance.
Some common injuries many active people experience include ligament strains, muscle strains, sprained ankles, and wrists. Ligaments hold your bones together and can be sprained when stretched too far from the normal position. Common ligament injuries occur in the knee, ankle, and wrist. You must take caution to perform exercises in the correct way to prevent causing undue stress. A muscle strain is simply a pulled muscle resulting from fatigue or overuse and is most common in the lower back, neck, shoulder, and hamstring. Other common injuries include sprained ankles and wrists. The ankle sprain usually happens when you twist your ankle, while the wrist sprain happens when attempting to break a fall. Both sprains are painful, with varying tenderness, bruising, and swelling.
Always take the necessary steps to avoid injuries by warming up before all physical activity, ensuring correct technique and posture during your workout routine, and knowing your fitness level to prevent overuse of muscles. To learn more about the proper way to perform exercise, book a one-on-one training session with me. Send an email to Coach@PGF.life to book a session.
Ronni Walker is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in mass communication. She is committed to helping people transition to and maintain healthy lifestyles through the P.RE.T.T.Y. Girl Fitness project. You may contact by sending an email to coach@PGF.life.