Have you made a fitness New Year’s Resolution?

6 Jan

Here are 5 injury prevention tips to keep you on track.

Many of us will have made a New Year’s Resolution. Most of which will include the start of a new fitness journey or exercise regime.

This is great! But unfortunately it is all too common to rush into our new ventures unprepared and get injured, cutting our ambitions short.

To keep your Resolutions alive, here are 5 tips on how to prevent injury.

1 - Check your mobility and work on it!

Mobility is the quality of your active movement, different from flexibility as this refers to the range of your passive movement.

You may be able to pull your leg into a deep stretch, but can you actively reach this range when moving.

The discrepancies between the two can lead to injury as you apply force to a stiff joint such as throwing a ball or running and jumping, your muscles may experience a tightening up or pull as they are resistant to the movement being asked of them.

Many of us are unaware just how stiff and immobile our bodies are…until we take part in a new activity. Our bodies have been so used to our normal routine we need to get to know our limitations and work on them to prepare for the activity ahead.

This includes a decent warm up, by now this is something we are all aware we should be doing but how many of us do one and do you know what to do?

A good warm up should raise your heart rate a little but not too much, this gets the heart pumping extra blood to the muscles which will soon require it. Your warm up should also prepare your body for the movements it is about to perform. For example if running, perform some slow leg cycles to loosen the hips and warm up the glutes. The warm up should also be used to activate any weaker muscles, this is where a professional can help to assess these key areas, for example, an office worker may have tight, weak or inactive glutes (buttock muscles) from sitting all day, and so will need to activate (switch on) these muscles with specific exercises before running. Failing to do so may lead to technique imbalances and risk to hips, hamstrings, knees and more!

2 - Know your limits.

What you could do 10 years ago sadly is not the same today. But it doesn't mean you can't get there, just take it step by step with small achievable goals.

To continue our running example, if your 2023 goal is to run another marathon, the last one you did was 5 or so years ago, it isn't just your stamina that you will need to train. Running is much more of a technical sport than we often think. Our bodies are also much more adaptable and ever changing than we realise. Five years of working at a desk 10 hours a day, or working a manual job, or even focussing on another sport such as weights or cycling, our body will have adapted to these different tasks and postures making it a different body to the one who ran the marathon all those years ago. Yes, we will have some muscle memory mainly linked to the brain's memory centres, but we must make sure our body is capable of achieving the activities we require of it and not push too soon.

Start with performing a few tests for your body to help you understand your current level, try these:

Stand on each leg for as long as you can, with the raised knee up to hip height, time it. Are there differences left to right?
Raise your arms straight up to your ears, look in the mirror as you do this. Can you notice and feel differences left to right? Is the movement as smooth as you hoped?
Stand facing forward, feet pointing ahead, rotate your upper body to turn your head as far behind you as you can, repeat both sides. How far can you turn? Is it the same on both sides?

As you may gather so far, it is important that you understand your body fully if you want to succeed in your activity goals. Even if it is general fitness or weight loss, this is often when people get injured as there is little awareness of a starting point and what areas you should work on specific to your own body.

The easiest way to help you understand is to get a biomechanical assessment from an expert who can then help form a plan to improve your functional biomechanics.

3 - Build a foundation.

This one is so important when learning a new skill and restarting a skill. Running for example is something we can all do right!? Running yes, running with correct technique, unfortunately not. You must make sure you learn the technique for each new movement be that running, squatting or yoga. Our body will believe we are doing the right technique even when we are not so ideally learning with a trained professional, or use videos to record ourselves so you can see what needs improving. Building a good foundation will allow you to progress your strength and movement goals quicker and without injury.

Check your foundation:

Time your front plank, can you do 30 seconds?
Stand from a low seat/sofa without hands
Can you forward bend with a straight back? Without pain and stiffness?

4 - Invest in the right kit.

Whether hiking up mountains or running the Park Run it is important you prepare with the right kit otherwise you are risking injury just by being unprepared. Appropriate clothes for the weather will prevent slips and falls as well as protect you from harsh cold or heat.

Ensure your shoes are the right fit, getting the most expensive option isn't always necessary but making sure they are comfortable is important. Get advice on the correct kit for your sport or activity, then you can shop around for the good prices.

5 - Look after your body.

Listen to your body and respond to its cries.

By this I mean, do not ignore aches and pains. They are normal when the body is adapting to a new activity. It is important to give yourself the right amount of rest to recover and not do too much too soon. You may feel motivated and eager but plan your days and plan your rests. Enjoy some recuperation such as a bath or much needed massage.

Your body will thank you for it. Seek help when you need it!

Did you know, your body does the important adaptations and muscle building when we are resting, a lot at night, so make sure you get plenty of sleep, but also on those planned rest days, after heavy sessions. Therefore please take the time for the body to get stronger and fitter. Doing too much will increase your risk of getting injured taking you out of activity altogether.

Ways to enhance your recovery:

Massages and assisted stretching
Protein and correct nutrition
Magnesium
Baths / sauna / steam room /jacuzzi
Gentle exercise / stretching / yoga

A final piece of advice, make sure you choose an activity you enjoy! Getting fit and healthy is all about making a lifestyle choice and changing behaviours long term. So make sure you enjoy your activity, understand what changes need to be made and replace bad habits with good enjoyable ones.