Avoid a New Year’s Resolution Fitness Injury

A new year’s resolution might be on your mind right now. Many of us find ourselves setting lofty health and fitness goals for the new year. Striving for better health and wellness is wonderful. However, you should be careful to avoid a few common pitfalls as you introduce new activities into your life. Here’s a look at some ways you can prevent an injury as you strive to hit your fitness goals in the new year.

Over-Exercising

There’s nothing wrong with setting goals for increased exercise. When approached properly, it can be a great way to improve your health. However, it is very easy to end up doing too much too fast and get injured. So, the first thing you should keep in mind is how fast you are increasing activity. Gradually increase your level of activity, with staggered days of rest in between ideally. This will give your body time to adjust. It can be helpful to switch up your kinds of exercise too. Instead of going right into 5 or 6 days per week of running on the road, try to mix in some hiking, cycling, core work,and other activities. This will prevent overuse injuries that can arise when you do a lot of repetitive activity before your body is ready for it.

Knowing Your Body

As you slowly increase your activity level, it’s important to notice how it feels. Get used to listening to your body. Notice if something causes pain, or if pain lingers long after exercise. Keep an eye out for more worrying symptoms like pain that does not fade after a few days, or increases to your resting heart rate. These can be warning signs of more serious injuries like stress fractures and overtraining syndrome. You should work with a doctor to assess your situation if you are experiencing any of these warning signs.

Treat your body well after exercising as well. If you do experience pain, rest and ice any affected areas. You can spend some time doing targeted stretches for any tight muscle groups too. Plus, you might

Nutrition to Fuel Your New Year’s Resolution

As we increase our activity level, it’s important to adjust how we eat as well. More exercise means more calories burned, and the need for more calories so your body can stay healthy. In fact, cutting too many calories while increasing activity level can increase the risk for injury in some cases. You should also focus on healthier eating here as well. Incorporate whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and healthy fats and proteins into your diet as you build your activity level.

Working With A Doctor

If you do find yourself struggling with an injury, you should consider working with a medical professional. The experts at Orthopaedic Specialists use cutting-edge practices and research to help people from all walks of life heal and live healthy, active lives. From cortisone injections to surgery and innovative regenerative medicine, we can help you heal and get back to doing the activities you value.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Grossfeld and the other experts at Orthopaedic Specialists, call 502-212-2663 today.