According to a study by the University of Arkansas, gym injuries are up 35 percent in recent years. Fitness expert and personal trainer Justin Price attributes the rise in injuries to poor posture during the day and trying to do “too much, too fast.” Too many reps, too much weight. It boils down to the same old song and dance.
It’s important to proceed with caution when it comes to working out. The good news is that are plenty of steps you can take to keep yourself off the injured list.
A word of caution: No matter how good a shape you may think you are in, if you are a man 45 years of age or older, or a woman, 55 years of age or older, visit your doctor before embarking on any new exercise routine. Even if you have been active all your life. A physical look-over won’t hurt and may disclose undiagnosed diseases or physiological limitations pertaining to the exercise you would like to start.
The following tips will help you avoid injuring yourself as you embark on an exercise program. Or perhaps you will learn something new by perusing this list.
- Ease into your exercise program gradually. Start slowly and build up in intensity, duration and frequency. Don’t push yourself too hard. Some experts recommend starting with 20 minutes of working out three times a week. As your fitness increases, you will eventually be in a position to challenge yourself. But patience is definitely a virtue in this case.
- “No pain, no gain” is a myth. Don’t push yourself until you feel twinges of pain; that is not a good sign. Muscle soreness and exhaustion is to be expected but not sharp points of pain.
- Listen to your body. Lightheadedness, weakness and sharp pain means you are overdoing it. One has to understand the difference between good pain and bad pain. Good pain adds up to muscle discomfort and bad pain is a sudden onset pain when you move the body part or touch it.