TRYING TO PREVENT INJURY

There is nothing like an intense workout, a good game of hockey, soccer, baseball, or whatever else you enjoy playing. The adrenaline rush gives you that high and some part of you loves every second. While you’re enjoying being active and healthy, one thing that should cross your mind is preventing injury. So many of us don’t take things seriously and we forget to stretch, don’t cool down and think “oh I’ll just do it tomorrow when I have more time”. The problem with this is eventually tomorrow will catch up with you in the form of an injury, and then your left taking more time trying to heal it then it would have been to just stretch it in the first place.

A good place to start is to properly warm up before doing any physical activity

Let your body catch up with you and get ready to perform. Warming up your muscles and practising a sport helps to keep you safe too. Warm ups can last anywhere from 15-30 minutes and should include slow gradual stretching, helping to lengthen your muscles and increase your blood flow and muscle temperature. Another very important thing is to stretch for at least 10 minutes after a workout to let the muscles relax and help to prevent Lactic Acid build up, which causes stiff painful muscles/joints.

When playing any kind of sport make sure you know all the rules, just like traffic lights at intersections help to prevent car accidents. You and the other players know exactly what to expect from one another, thus preventing injury. Also very important to watch out for others, make sure your attention is always focused on what is going on around you so that you would be able to spot something before actually happens. Good communication is also key when playing sports, keeps everything clear and basically eliminates a lot of the confusion that could lead to injury.

When playing any kind of sport make sure you know all the rules, just like traffic lights at intersections help to prevent car accidents.
  • You and the other players know exactly what to expect from one another, thus preventing injury.
  • Also very important to watch out for others, make sure your attention is always focused on what is going on around you, so that you would be able to spot something before it actually happens.
  • Good communication is also key when playing sports, keeps everything clear and basically eliminates a lot of the confusion that could lead to injury.

Listening to your body is also key. Do not play when you are injured, taking the time to let an injury heal is very crucial into preventing a chronic injury which could be with you for the rest of your life. Playing sports when you are tired is also a big “No.” When our body is tired it is trying to tell us it is repairing our muscles from the previous workout. Take a break, it is not recommended to work out twice within twenty four hours. Just really make sure to listen and do what is best for your body. Make sure to wear the proper protective gear; such as a helmet. Choosing the correct helmet for your sport is very important. Make sure it fits snugly but comfortably, and if it has a strap you need to fasten it, or it could fall off or not properly protect you which would do no good at all. Follow all these tips and pointers and you should remain injury free!