Loading...

How to Stay Safe When Exercising

Bone and Joint Care in Arkansas - Ozark Orthopaedics

How to Stay Safe When Exercising

How to Stay Safe When Exercising

With its cooler weather, spring is the perfect time to get back into fitness. But before you start lacing up your shoes and signing up for almost any exciting-sounding workout, step back and slow down.

It takes a while for the body to get used to exercising especially if you haven’t been active for quite a while. Our specialists at Ozark Orthopaedics agree that while exercise is a vital part of living healthy, your safety shouldn’t be compromised while doing it.

So we are sharing with you some tips to keep you safe while working out:

• Warm-up and cool down
Before you start any program, it’s important to warm up for 5 to 10 minutes. When warming up, you can do low-intensity cardio that gradually increases your body temp and blood flow to your muscles. Doing this can help prevent muscle soreness and injury.

After your workout, set aside at least 5 minutes to cool down. When you are cooling down, you are slowly putting your body in recovery, back to your pre-exercise heart rate and blood pressure. So, you would want to gradually decrease the intensity of your workout until you get back to your pre-workout state.

• Be aware of your body
As you work out, be aware of how a particular exercise makes you feel. If something doesn’t feel right, stop immediately and consult a specialist.

• Consult your provider
Speaking of specialists, if you have an underlying condition that may be affected by any intense physical activity, see your provider first before starting a workout program.

• Stay hydrated
Make sure you stay hydrated before and after a workout.

When you are not replacing the fluids you’ve lost through sweat, you could end up with dehydration or with heat exhaustion.

• Try a variety
Overuse injuries result from doing the same type of exercise over and over again. So try mixing it up.

Incorporate different forms of exercise – cardio, flexibility, and strength training in your program. You can benefit from doing it in a multitude of ways.

Also, make sure to give each muscle group enough time to rest before you work them up again. If you’re unsure how to schedule your workouts, you can seek the help of a fitness instructor or specialist to help you out.

Sometimes no matter how careful we are in doing things, we could still end up with an injury. If you feel something’s not right, immediately stop what you’re doing and see a specialist.

Ozark Orthopaedics has a team of providers and specialists who can assess your condition and provide you with the most appropriate intervention. To request an appointment, please call (479) 521-2752.