Making the choice to work out is something that should always be commended. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment to simply get started. However, an extra challenge with being new to exercise is that you may accidentally make mistakes that could potentially lead to injury, thus hindering your progress. Allow us to offer you some guidance with a few ways to prevent injuries while exercising.
Table of Contents
Warm-Up and Cool Down
You’ve probably seen plenty of nagging about the importance of warming up and cooling down to ease your body in and out of intensive workouts. But not only do you need to make sure you’re completing these warmups and cooldowns to ensure you avoid injury, you need to make sure you’re doing them correctly. Stretching, for example, is a great way to loosen up your joints, but it can be damaging if you force your body to overstretch your muscles.
Choose the Right Exercises
As a beginner, a good idea is to begin with a fitness routine with low intensity and a low impact on your joints. Activities such as walking and swimming are good options while also being effective for fitness goals such as weight loss. The lower the intensity, the less likely you’ll be injured. However, even before that you should consider your personal circumstances and condition so that you can tailor your routine for what works best for you.
Learn Good Form
One of the best ways to prevent injuries while exercising is paying attention to your form during your routine. What feels comfortable may not always be the best form for an exercise, and while it feels fine in the moment, it could lead to pain and aches further down the line. If you’re trying an exercise for the first time, you should seek out guidance or an example as to how to do it correctly. A mirror is helpful for monitoring yourself and ensuring you’re using the correct form.
Plan for Rest Days
Many think that to get in shape, they need to exercise every single day. However, rest days are so much more important than you can imagine. After an intense workout, your muscles need some downtime to repair and build upon themselves. This is where you see the most muscle growth and it allows your body to soothe any aches and pains. Working out when your body is in pain will mean you’ll be performing sub-optimally and may lead to greater pain as you exacerbate it.
