My topic for this Fitness Journal entry is about Fitness Injury Prevention. It's become apparent in multiple conversations I've had this past week; more often than not people are getting injured repeatedly while trying to better their health.
The truth is these are people that have had proper fitness direction, people that are just getting started on their fitness journey, and people that are just plain pushing themselves to hard to fast.
It doesn't matter the fitness level your starting at that determines if your going to get injured or not, it's the amount of preparation for the level of fitness, that determines if you get injured. It's fact that we all will get some form of injury at some point in our fitness journey, but the most important thing is to realize that prevention of injuries is simple and a life-long goal. You will never get to a point in your fitness journey that stretching and properly warming up shouldn't be your first priority before working out.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I see lots of people enter the gym and going straight to working out without warming up or doing any form of stretching. Yes, I will come clean and say I have been one of those people, but have realized the hard way (the painful way) of the importance of warming up and stretching. I'm not getting any younger that's for sure, but by taking care of myself I can feel younger.
I'm a great example of constant injuries that are hindering my fitness goals. It all started with my lower back and a pinching of my Sciatic Nerve, which for the most part limited me from almost every kind of physical activity. Second, it was a calcium deposit in my left shoulder that when I lifted my arm cause unforgiving pain. Third it was re-occurring inflammation in my right knee that kept me sidelined from almost every kind of cardio and knee bending exercises. Fourth it was my lower back and hip joint that limited my mobility to preform even simple athletic tasks.
The point here is that all of these injuries could have been prevented by me. I was ambitious but not cautious.
Under the care of Dr. Ryan Nienaber I have been educated that my lower back pain is due to a weak and unconditioned hamstring and underlying muscles in the hip joint. My back pain flares up when I over due any kind of squatting motion. So now I'm slowing down and doing more and more squatting endurance workouts to help build up and strengthen those muscles. More like a therapy kind of workout.
As for my knee well it's just as simple. As long as I keep my Quadricep muscle stretched and proper warmed I don't have any pain or discomfort.
I have been able to manage most of the pain in my shoulder by doing higher intensity type workouts, like flat, inclined and declined pushups to failure. These workouts are proving to help build the supportive muscles and connective tissues, not to mention being a huge stabilizer for the chest workouts.
I am the first person to say that ICE is your friend. Yes the frozen water in your freezer. When your over ambitious and over-eager to see results we tend to temporarily push our bodies to a point of no return.
When we were younger we could push hard each and everyday and only suffer mild OMS ( Onset Muscle Sorness). As we age we realize that our bodies start having a louder voice when we overdue it. Our hangovers from that third glass of wine, or the grueling squat workout just hits us harder and harder the older we get.
So it's very important that we all stop and make a game plan for our future in fitness and make choices that will allow us to grow and progress and not put us in a state of neglect and dormancy.
As Adults we need to make choices to better our health and by doing so we become the most powerful role-model to our children and children's children. I was reading a blog posting today from Abby Rike former contestant of the Biggest Loser and motivational speark; who said one of the most motivational things you can do is seek a group that will keep you active or find a online forum where it's possible to receive and share fitness advice. Read more at
www.abbyrike.comIt's important we aren't alone in our fitness journey, being healthy isn't easy and well very much a day to day challenge for most. Don't be afraid to share your story with others, listen and share the knowledge you've gained so far in your fitness journey. The only way were going to make America a better place is by improving the health of the future, our kids. We are the role models and we must fight for a better life for today and tomorrow. Start now by doing something productive and encourage your kids to be active, eat healthier and most importantly build their self esteem by giving them motivational compliments. Do the work, run the miles, and cherish each moment as our gift of life. Make a commitment to get outside by yourself and with your kids for at least 15 minutes a day of some form of physical activity. Go for a walk, hike next to the river, ride your bikes, kick the soccer ball, etc. Doesn't matter just be involved with creating a habit and you and your kids will reap the rewards of a higher self esteem, more confidence , better eating habits and good ole happiness.
Good luck and remember you must BELIEVE TO RECEIVE....
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