Exercise & Fitness Articles

Most of us know that exercise is good for you. But did you know that more and more research is indicating that exercise is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth? That?s right, exercise can decrease our risk for a number of illnesses and conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and the general decline in conditioning associated with aging.

The downside, however, is many people get carried away in their exuberance to get fit, and becoming injured can be a very real concern. The following tips are designed to help you avoid being sidelined by a painful injury early in the season.

-Warm up before and cool down after exercise. Warm up to get your heart going and the blood flowing in your muscles by walking, taking a slow run, or any movement that gently increases your heart rate. After exercise, cool off by walking or doing some light stretching to allow your heart rate and breathing to get back to normal.

-Use the proper equipment for your activity. Equipment that doesn?t fit or work well can also be an invitation for accidents and injuries. If your sport involves walking or running, your shoes are your main piece of equipment?make sure they?re not old or worn out.

-Drink! This may seem like a no-brainer on the hot, humid days of summer, but dehydration can occur even on cooler days. Also, know the signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, which include feeling light-headed or dizzy, clamminess, lack of perspiration, shivering, and feeling cold.

-Slowly increase the intensity and duration of your workouts. On the first really nice day of spring, we all want to set the world on fire, but take it easy. If you are working toward a goal, gradual increases are the way to get there without injury.

-Be consistent with your exercise program. If you check the waiting room of your doctor?s office on Monday mornings, it?s likely that you?ll find a fair share of weekend athletes. Set up an exercise program that is regular (three times a week is ideal to start) and incorporates a balance of strength, flexibility and endurance.

-Listen to your body. More often than not, your body will give you signals that it?s worn down or getting injured. The key is listening to those signals. Pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, or lack of motivation may be signals that you need to take a rest. This leads us to?

-Rest. Taking a break from exercise is an important component to conditioning. When you rest, your body recovers from previous workouts, allowing your heart, lungs, and muscles to get stronger.

-Mix It Up. By adding some variety to your workouts, you are not constantly using the same muscles and joints. Switch your activities and give those muscles and joints time to recover.

-Finally, know the signs of an impending overuse injury. It?s usually very clear when we are injured from some kind of trauma or a muscle pull, but overuse injuries can sneak up on us. Sometimes it?s difficult to distinguish between everyday aches and pains and a true overuse injury. Common signs of overuse include pain that lasts hours or days after a workout, swelling, and reduced range of motion, or the feeling of ?favoring? a muscle or joint.