Regular exercise can have some fantastic benefits for your health. It can improve your fitness, tone your muscles, and help you lose some pounds.  Moreover, it can have benefits for your brain, improving memory, learning functions, and encourage your brain to release serotonin which makes you happier. Some results have actually shown that running regularly can improve your hearing, protect you from certain cancers and even increase your fertility!

But whether you’ve just started trying to get fit or your training for your next competition, beware of injuries that can hamper your workout routine and derail your healthy ambitions.

Injuries can be a matter of overdoing it. Sometimes it’s a matter of bad technique. And sometimes it’s a case of doing physical activity that is wrong for your particular body type, shape or conditioning.

Whatever the reasons, running injuries can be really frustrating, and can put people off exercise.

So here are some ideas to help avoid injuries and help you enjoy exercise to the full:

• Know what is best for your body

Knowing the limitations of your body is one of the best ways to avoid injury. This doesn’t just mean avoiding certain activities until you’re in better shape. It’s also about identifying your weak areas are and then avoiding the types of exercise that will cause the most impact or strain on those areas,

For example, people with knee problems should avoid using the treadmill or stepper, and instead try a stationary bike or an elliptical machine which does not cause any pounding on the joints. If you can’t slowly condition the weak parts of your body then you should avoid the activities that stress them.

• Warm Up and Take it Easy
  

Regardless of the type of exercise, if you warm up before every session and slowly build the pace of your workout, you are less likely to get injured in the process. A good warm up helps the muscles handle stress so they are less likely to get injured.

Read more about warming up here:

http://www.stopsportsinjuries.org/STOP/

http://greatist.com/move/whats-ideal-warm-up

• Remember Your Age!

When was the last time you did strenuous exercise? Don’t try and do too much too quickly. Intense exercise without the right preparation and conditioning is inevitably going to end in injury.

• Don’t Over Do It

Doing the same kind of exercise repeatedly may help you perfect the technique, but it can also cause injury. Repeating the same movements can result in injuries  such as shin splints, tendinitis and never ending muscle soreness.

By varying your workouts, and giving your muscles adequate rest inbetween, your muscles should recover adequately and avoid injury.

• Hire a Professional Trainer

A Professional Trainer is one of the best ways to avoid injury as their expert advice can ensure you are doing the correct types of exercise for your body. The trainer will aid you in creating a program suited to you that will allow the right amount of rest and recovery time, therefore lowering the risk of injury.

Getting expert advice can also keep you from doing the wrong workouts for your body and allow the correct progression of exercises to condition your body.

ABOUT US

Health Rewards offers health and life insurance that REWARDS you for being active and healthy. Our core cover doesn’t just protect you when things go wrong – It makes it cheaper and easier for anyone to get active and rewards their positive choices.

Members can get:

• A Huge discount on Garmin, Polar, or Apple Watch devices
• 50% off Virgin Active or Nuffield Gym Memberships
• £500 cashback on bikes at Evans Cycles
• 50% off running shoes at Sweatshop
• Weekly Starbucks and Cinema rewards
• Big discounts at British Airways, Eurostar, and Champneys

Interested? Call us on 0800 881 5666 or email info@health-rewards.co.uk

Want a quote? CLICK HERE

CSSC MEMBER? CLICK HERE