The weather is getting warmer and that only means the holiday season is here! Let’s face the facts, the holidays are an opportunity for us to catch up and celebrate with friends and family. This can be a festive family feast during Christmas or a glamorous party with friends filled with sweet treats and copious amount of drinks on New Year’s Eve. This often means our health is not often a priority. After the festive celebrations, many of us have a switch in mindset and decide we want to better ourselves for the next year.
A common goal is the popular idea of a fitness transformation to a healthier version of yourself. As a result, we see surge of gym memberships, social sport registration and also increase rate of injuries! The spike of injuries is often a major barrier that derails us from reaching our fitness goals. So how do we reduce it?
Here are 3 simple tips you can use throughout the holidays to stay injury-free in your fitness transformation journey:
1. Gradual approach to exercise:
The new fuelled motivation to exercise can lead us to push ourselves when our body is not used to the amount of stress put on it during the vigorous workout. When the body cannot handle the increase load then that is how injuries occur. We can reduce injuries by adopting a gradual approach to exercise.
For example, if you live a sedentary lifestyle and want to jump into vigorous exercise such as an intense 1 hour circuit workout, instead try starting off with 30 minute workout program to allow your body to adapt. As your body get used to the new exercise program then you can increase the workout time each week. Remember, always consult a healthcare practitioner before starting a new exercise program. Our physiotherapist are well equipped to help you reach your fitness goals and give you a gradual approach to reduce the injuries during exercise.
2. Proper warm up program:
It is imperative to have a structured and evidenced-based workout program. This involves adopting dynamic warm ups to prime the muscles for the exercise. An experienced physiotherapist can perform an assessment of biomechanics and provide simple modification to more efficiently and safely engage in sports or exercise.
If you’re still unsure about how to incorporate a proper warm up program, you can check out our recent blog about dynamic warm ups.
3. Adequate nutrition:
It is important to have a balanced diet, this will help provide sufficient fuel to help aid muscle recovery. We don’t have to immediately make drastic changes, often small decisions can come a long way to make a healthier version of yourself.
For example, swapping chips with roasted veggies next time you order a chicken parmigiana at your local pub. We also often forget that nutrition also means adequate hydration. Water is necessary for numerous bodily functions including helping deliver the nutrients to our body. A balanced diet can help with sleep, performance and general wellbeing. It is important to always consult your physician before committing to dietary changes in your lifestyle.
Book an appointment with one of our Physios if you need help with your fitness goals and exercise programs. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook page to stay updated on the latest physiotherapy content.