As we transition from Spring to summer, along with the sunshine and warmer weather drawing us into the the outdoors, for some there’s the panic of getting ‘beach ready’ and ‘summer ready’ starting to dawn on them. So how can you prevent injury from happening and ruining your summer prep?
In clinic, I can tell it’s this transition period from the nature of the injuries I start to see. It swings between gardening related injuries and gym/workout injuries. So how can you prevent injury? People who have been pretty inactive through winter and early spring remember those long forgotten New Years resolutions and start to pick up the pace. Sounds like a positive thing right? However, it seems that many forget that they are human and not some form of super-human.
‘Prevention is Better then cure’
To go from zero to full throttle is not only unrealistic and unsustainable it puts you at a huge risk of injury. Going from zero exercise to a three times a week intensive workout can shock your body. These are the people who come for treatment with stories of ‘I can’t use the gym I just end up injured if I do.’ Or ‘I didn’t do anything why am I injured?’ Or ‘I’ve been doing the same workout I used to do and it used to be ok, why isn’t it now?’.
So how can you prevent injury as you transition from spring to summer?
1.Take preventative measures:
First and foremost if you feel any pain or discomfort BEFORE starting to train then don’t expect it to go away itself when you start putting more pressure on your body! Get a preventative treatment with your Osteopath or therapist and iron out the kinks first.
2. Stretch and warm up.
So there are mixed opinions on which stretches are best and should we warm up. If it’s been a while since your body has experienced much movement and even work is very sedentary then you especially need to stretch and warm-up. In fact, rather then doing this just before your workout, start introducing more gentle movement into your every day life doing every day activities your body recognises! Walk more, use the stairs more, a few knee hugs in the morning before getting out of bed can make the world of difference. Then it won’t be such a shock to the system when you start doing movements your body is unfamiliar with.
3. Build-up the intensity gradually.
The body takes some time to become conditioned to any exercise intensity, especially if you haven’t been doing much previously. Build up slowly and sensibly. Do your 3 times a week workout but shorten the time and lighten the load/intensity. Build up your workouts gradually and sensibly. This also applies if you have been away for two weeks and stopped your workout and are getting back into it again.
4. Be realistic and prevent injury!
Goals are important and it’s great to aim high. However, there is no point deciding on two hour workouts 5 days a week if your schedule doesn’t allow for it. You will only end up feeling discouraged when you don’t hit the unrealistic expectations you set yourself. Also you put those unconditioned muscles and joints more at risk of injury. Better to start low and gradually increase. As you start hitting those targets you will feel more motivated to do more anyway and exercise doesn’t need to be in the gym. It can be a short run that you usually walk, or a walk that you usually drive!
5. Pick activities you love:
Prevent injury whilst having fun! Find a physical activity you enjoy, maybe a dance class, maybe some gardening or cycling in the park. Exercise doesn’t need to be gym related especially if you hate the gym. You are more likely to avoid injuring yourself if you are in the moment and paying full attention to the activity you are doing rather then clock watching and praying for it to be over soon.
6. Be mindful: Connect with your body.
It’s very easy to get caught up and carried away with ourselves when we are active. We can be so focused on what we are doing that we can actually forget our bodies and how it feels until it’s too late! Check in with your body throughout the activity/ exercise. One of the best things you can do is simply bring your attention to your feet and check if you are weight bearing evenly between them. If you feel you are heavier on one side then the other do a few heel lifts dropping onto the soles of your feet as it will re-calibrate your weight bearing and helps to even it out.
7. Cool down:
Prevent injury by stretching! Again, A few stretches at the end of the workout. Make it balanced and sensible. If you trained for 30 minutes then stretch accordingly, if you trained for longer, the stretch time should be longer.
8. After exercise:
I recommend a warm (NOT HOT!) Epsom salt bath or magnesium spray on the muscles as it helps boost the muscle healing and takes the edge off the DOMs (delayed onset muscle fatigue…that post workout soreness). And be reasonable, give your body some time to recover before you put it through its paces again to prevent injury.
Let’s not punish our bodies for our winter sins. Be kind to your body and it will be kind to you.
By Ayshe Ibrahim Principle Osteopath and Yoga Therapy teacher at The Backbone Clinics. 11/6/19
For advice on an injury or to book an appointment please call us at The Backbone on: 020 8883 9890.
