Preventing Injury being Fit

Hi Everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I kicked off Monday with an early morning spin class followed by 40 laps in the pool before heading to the office.  With my foot injury, I'm limited to swimming and biking for cardio.  I am not a great swimmer and it's not something I love to do.  I've swam everyday since last Friday and finding I'm liking it more.  It's a new physical challenge and I love to try new things to see how my body reacts.  It's given me a new goal to work towards.  My foot feels so great when I'm done swimming.  This too has been motivation for me to do it more.  The only thing missing....music.  A friend from my spin class recommended I buy H20 Audio.  It's a waterproof case you use to store an iPod & you can listen to music while you swim.  I bought one on Amazon last night and had it shipped overnight. 

I think it's important when you have an injury to continue being active.  It allows you to maintain your level of fitness so when you are recovered you don't have such a steep hill to climb to get back to where you were.  My doctor told me at my orthopedic visit that I should continue to be active.  The people at my gym look at me strange & comment about my air cast.  It doesn't bother me.  But shouldn't an injury be even more motivation to be active & fit?  I think so!

Since my foot injury, I've been thinking a lot about injury prevention as it relates to fitness.  While it's important to be active & exercise, it's just as important to protect yourself from injury.  Do you ever see the same person at the gym doing the same routine day after day?  I have a few like that at my gym and I always wonder if they realize they are at putting themselves at risk for injury.  They may not be reaching their fitness goals either because our bodies become used to doing the same routine.  Overtime, our bodies ignores activities it is accustomed to doing so it's important to change activities regularly and challenge your body in a new way.  Most important, it may prevent injury.  Something as simple as changing the order in which you do a routine, running the course you take in the opposite direction than normal, doing more repetitions or trying a new activity.     

Tips for Preventing Injury

1. Cross-Train - Incorporate different activities in your fitness routine.  If you love to run, schedule days to bike, swim, elliptical or Zumba.  The body can become accustomed to doing the same thing over and over so mix things up every few months.  Cross-training will promote muscles to work differently, which can prevent injury.  

2. Right Shoes - Get fitted for the right size and type of shoes.  For years, I wore the wrong size shoes & suffered toe pain.  It's important for an expert to evaluate the type of shoe you may need.  You may be a pronator (your feet roll in) or under pronator (roll your feet out).  Having the right shoes is important to preventing injury as they are the support mechanism for you while working out.  And the right shoes are important if you want to keep that pedicure lasting long!

3. Strength Train - Weight training is important to build muscle and maintain strong joints.  This includes building a strong core.  You will have increased stability with a strong core and muscle & joint strength which will help prevent injury.  As we age, strength training becomes more important as muscles & joints begin to breakdown.  Weight training keeps them strong.

4. Enough Sleep - Sleep impacts physical and mental performance.  Most adults need an average of 7-9 hours of sleep every night.  If you are overly tired, you risk injuring yourself during physical activity.  

5. Eat Well - diet impacts fitness and not all calories are equal (i.e. don't substitute a cookie for the broccoli in your lunch bag).  Eat small, well-balanced meals with a good mix of protein, carbs & fats.  

6. Equipment Education - understand how to use equipment & machines.  Most fitness facilities offer free introductory services where a staff member or trainer will familiarize you with equipment, the muscles it works and the correct settings.  

Please keep these injury prevention tips in mind in your fitness routine.  If you feel pain or like you injured something, be sure to stop and seek medical advice.  You know your body better than anyone.

Personally, I cross train on a regular basis.  My foot injury was not a result of any of the fore mentioned items.  It was a result of the intensity of my training.  Many athletes are prone to injury because they push their bodies more than the average person.  That is me. 

Disclaimer - I am not a medical professional.  The statements above are based on my personal experiences.  Always speak to your doctor regarding specific concerns you have.

Questions - what cross-training do you do?  What's 1 thing you can do better to prevent injury while being fit?

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About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.