The New Year has begun and most of us have New Year’s resolutions that we’d like to kick off the year with. For many of us that includes a new health and fitness regime. To avoid any setbacks to your health and fitness program, it’s important to make sure that you are free from any pain or lingering injury. Don’t ignore any existing or mild injuries that you may be suffering from as they can disrupt your goals, creating unnecessary and frustrating obstacles. If you’re experiencing any existing back, neck pain or injuries, you can get them looked at by a healthcare professional.
Your Physio can help you with any aches and pains that you may be suffering from and can develop a Physio led rehabilitation program that will help you to achieve your goals. Often a rehab or preventative program that runs parallel to your new fitness regime can help you get back on track to meet your goals. Other times, your Physio can help you by giving you advice and adjustments to your program and progressing them as you improve. Importantly, they can stop any current issues from becoming larger because these problems may interfere with your physical activity and goals.
We have some Physio tips that will help you to kick start your fitness routine.
The Correct Technique & Posture
When exercising, it’s important that you use the correct techniques. Keeping good posture and joint position at all times whilst exercising is also necessary. Try and keep your posture in a neutral position with the natural curves in your spine which helps to keep loads at a minimum.
Use Your Exercise Equipment Properly
If you’re not familiar with a piece of gym equipment or are new to a gym, get a fitness instructor to show you how it can be used safely and properly. This will avoid an injury from occurring and your fitness plans being interrupted. Your Physio may also be able to give you advice on how to adapt to that piece of equipment if you have an injury.
Develop Your Strength & Stamina
Throwing your muscles into a new fitness routine when they may not be strong enough to cope with the level of strength that is needed, can cause them to fatigue quickly, creating a risk of injury. The key to avoiding this is to begin slowly, progressively escalating the repetitions as well as starting low then building to a moderate intensity as your muscles become stronger. You may also start with smaller ranges of movement then increase as you feel comfortable.
Make Sure To Stretch
It’s important to warm up and stretch before you begin exercising. This will allows you to have your full range of movement whilst exercising. When your movement is restricted, you can’t move your joints and muscles to their full potential, leading to injury and potential muscle imbalance.
Low Core Strength
Reduced core strength creates the risk of injury when we are lifting and using our bodies to create force as we do in all forms of exercise. Having these muscles working is key to preventing injury in any exercise environment. Make sure you know how to switch these muscles on correctly and be able to keep them working whilst you exercise. A Physio can help you with this by carrying out ultrasound assessment to pinpoint which muscles are switching on.
If you’re experiencing some aches and pains after the silly season, our Physios can help you with your fitness routine. Press this link to find a practice near you.