Lower your risk of sustaining sports and exercise injuries before they sideline you from participating in and enjoying the invigoration of physical activity and the competition of your favorite sports. The following recommendations for reducing the risk of sports injuries are sensible suggestions whether you participate in organized sports, play sports on the weekends with your buddies, exercise at home or at a local gym.
1. You usually have to get a physical to participate in most organized sports, but getting a physical from your doctor to make sure you are fit enough for rigorous physical activity is a good idea even if you are not required to get one.
2. If you are transitioning from being a spectator to being an active participant in sports and increased physical activity, make it a slow and steady transition to reduce your risk of injury. Stretch your muscles before the game or a full exercise session to limber them up. Muscles with some flex in them are less likely to be pulled or torn.
3. Get to the gym for workouts in between games and your regular exercise sessions to increase your fitness, strength, agility and endurance levels on and off the playing field. Strengthening these bolsters your execution skills and also reduces your risk of injury.
4. Dress appropriately for exercising or for the sport you are participating in. The right clothing and the proper shoes designed for the activity you are engaging in will reduce the risks of injury and allows you to comfortably be active. Contact sports require additional equipment like helmets and pads which lower the risk of injury during high impact colliding with competitors or other objects.
5. Exercising or participating in outdoor sports when it is very hot or cold is dangerous and can result in severe injuries like heat exhaustion or heat stroke in hot weather to frost bite and hyperthermia in cold weather. Death can even occur with these injuries.
6. Keep yourself well hydrated by drinking water and even beverages containing electrolytes. You should drink at least eight ounces of water before beginning activity and continue doing so at regular intervals throughout and after exercising or participating in a sport.
7. Hire a personal trainer to offer you education and guidance on how to correctly exercise to reduce the risks of injuries and for expert training to ready yourself for competitive sports play. A personal trainer can help you safely improve your fitness, strength, agility, and endurance levels for better performance and reduced risk of injury.
8. Sign up for some yoga classes and hypnotherapy sessions. Yoga stretching exercises increase your flexibility and yoga can also help you to develop strong focusing skills. Hypnotherapy can also help you develop stronger skills for focusing. Many exercise and sport injuries happen as a result of not focusing on what you were doing in an activity. A focused mind while active will reduce the risk of injury.
9. Regular physical activity is important for health and to stay in shape enough to participate well in exercise and sports activities. It is equally important not to abuse your body by not allowing it to rest and rejuvenate between rigorous bouts of physical activity. An exhausted body is at greater risk for injury. Pay attention as well to cues that you have pushed your body to its maximum to reduce the risks of injury due to over stressing muscles and joints.
As careful as you try to be and certainly taking steps to reduce exercise and sports injuries lessens the chances of you being sidelined long term, injuries can still happen. Muscle sprains and minute tears, are more common than bone fractures and can usually be treated at home. There are four things you can do to keep the injury from becoming worse, lessen pain, and even encourage quicker recovery from an injury. Rest the affected appendage, affix a compression bandage, apply ice, and elevate. In no time at all you will be back on your feet and back in the game.