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5 Ways Athletes Can Avoid Sports Injuries

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All sports have a risk for injury and some are serious enough to cost you an entire sports season or career. Luckily, they can be prevented if you are cautious in using the correct steps to protecting and warming up your body, along with allowing your body to rest. Here are 5 ways athletes can avoid sports injuries and stay in the game:

  1. Get in shape before starting a new activity or sport

    Expecting your sport to get you in shape without any additional exercise is a major mistake an athlete can make, especially if you are not accustomed to the full, physical intensity of a specific sport. Get in shape before you start your sport by incorporating regular exercise into your daily regimen. This can mean doing physical training or following an off season conditioning program that is designed for your sport, as it can build your balance of strength, agility, flexibility, coordination and endurance. Not only can it better your physical abilities, but also improve overall technique. Cross training is also an option that can prevent burn out and overuse injuries. Mixing routines and workouts can improve your range of movement and activate other muscle groups in your body, which in turn, improves performance during a game.

  2. Warm up and cool down

    Warming up and cooling down your body is just as important as the game itself. So before any type of vigorous movement, it’s crucial to prevent any potential risks for injury by protecting your muscles in the long-run. This means increasing your heart rate to get your body adjusted to continuous movement and warming up large muscle groups to activate certain parts of your body. Then, when your muscles are warm, strengthening and lengthening your muscles can not only assist you in your performance during the game, but also prevent any potential injuries.

    After the game, it is important to cool down your body with stretches that can slowly and safely ease your heart rate. Instead of laying or sitting down in a stationary position, keep your body and your blood flow moving by taking a walk and/or stretching any fatigued muscles.

  3. Wear protective gear

    Many sports require gear such as helmets, cleats, pads (neck, shoulder, elbow, chest, knee, shin), face guards, mouthpieces, protective cups, and/or eyewear. Making sure your equipment is correct for your sport is also important. For example, wearing running shoes would be great for a marathon, but not for a soccer game. It’s crucial to wear properly fitting equipment to reduce the likelihood of major injuries, however, athletes should not assume that it will fully protect them. Along with proper technique and playing safe, all rules should be enforced and all gear should be in good condition and worn appropriately.

  4. Stay hydrated

    Many athletes underestimate their fluid needs and find themselves exhausted and dehydrated in the midst of an intense game. Dehydration leads to poor performance due to lower blood volume, which makes it more difficult to send oxygen to your muscles. Emphasizing fluid intake will not only keep your body cool, but also decrease your chances of feeling fatigued. Adequately hydrating before, during and after a game is important to replenish your body of all fluid loss. Depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise, incorporating some type of electrolyte can assist your body in getting the nutrients it needs. However, drinking plain water will suffice and will reduce the risk of dehydration.

  5. Don’t play when you are injured

    Although there are many ways to prevent sports injuries, injuries may still occur. Allowing your body to recover and rest to let the injury heal will be more beneficial to your body rather than “playing through the pain.”

    There are two types of sports injuries: acute and chronic. Acute injuries occur suddenly while chronic injuries happen after playing a sport or exercising for a long time. When dealing with an acute injury, remember to use RICE: rest, ice compression, and elevation. When dealing with a chronic injury, it is important to contact a doctor and let them determine what precautions you should take before playing or exercising.

    Additionally, even when you are not injured, fatigued muscles can put you at risk for potential injuries. It’s important to allow your body to have one day to recover, especially if you are continuously playing throughout the week. Ultimately, continuing to play during an injury can only make it worse and may even lead to chronic problems. Taking a few days off may prevent the loss of an entire season or career.

Good luck and play safe!

Smoking Health Risks

Smoking Health Risks

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By reducing oxygen flow and the body’s ability to heal, it is widely known that smoking can lead to a broad range of health risks. The Surgeon General announced last year that smoking and tobacco use have been linked to even more illnesses than what was previously thought. Some of the new additions to this list include: Type 2 Diabetes, cleft palate birth defects and rheumatoid arthritis. Find out more about some of the negative side effects of smoking here:

Fitness

As less oxygen is able to reach your lungs, smoking can make it much harder to catch your breath during physical activity, especially any type of cardio exercise. Once this type of ongoing breathing trouble starts to occur, it is not uncommon for smokers to start avoiding exercise altogether. For women in particular, smoking can speed up the loss of overall bone density.

The Spine

A lack of exercise can be detrimental to the entire body, and the spine is no exception. When the spine isn’t able to function properly, the effects can be widespread. One study from John Hopkins University that took place over several decades found a link between smoking and spine degeneration/back pain. One cause of the lumbar back pain was found to be a result of the smokers’ coughing that puts extra stress on the discs.

Healing

As the nicotine in cigarettes causes blood vessels to tighten up, blood flow is restricted, which leads to slower healing time when your body has a wound. It’s not only cuts and bruises that heal more slowly though, even a common cold can linger longer than it should if your immune system has been compromised by tobacco use. In short- quitting smoking will help both your immune system and your nervous system to work much more efficiently!

Quitting

While quitting smoking may be no easy task, having the right support system is often an important factor in giving up any bad habit for good. An accountability partner might just be the extra motivation you need to be successful! You can also find helpful tips online on websites such aswww.smokefree.gov.

strength training tips mission valley

Strength Training Tips

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Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program. Traditionally, it’s been encouraged to participate in aerobic activities such as swimming and bicycling, however, strength training can also be safe and effective for youth and adults, provided that appropriate guidelines are followed. Strength training is a method of conditioning that involves a wide range of equipment and activities, with dumbbells, medicine balls, weight machines, and body weight exercises that are specifically intended to improve or maintain muscular fitness. Furthermore, a routine strength training program can reduce the risk of sports-related injuries in athletes. Despite its reputation as a “guy” thing, strength training is an important part of overall health and fitness for everyone of any gender or age.

Strength training helps develop strong bones by increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. It can help control your weight as well, because as you gain muscle, your body starts to burn calories more efficiently. Strength training also aids in boosting your stamina and sharpening your focus. It can also help reduce the symptoms of chronic conditions, like arthritis, back pain, obesity and many other ailments.

Although every combination is different depending on your desired results, a safe and effective strength training program should follow these important guidelines:

  • A warm up and cool down of about 5 -10 minutes is ideal. Walking is an excellent way to warm up and stretching is an good way to cool down.
  • Remember to focus on form, not weight. Use correct body alignment and smooth movements through each exercise. Poor form can increase injuries. Also, when learning a strength training routine, many professionals advise starting with no weight, or very minimal weight. Try to concentrate on gradual, smooth lifts.
  • Keeping a consistent, moderate tempo helps you stay in control. For instance, you can count to three while lowering a weight, then hold, then count to three while raising it back to the starting position.
  • Pay close attention to your breathing during workouts. It’s best to exhale as you work against resistance (whether by lifting, pushing, or pulling) and inhale as you release resistance.
  • By slowly increasing weight or resistance used, you can keep challenging your muscles. The appropriate weight you should use differs depending on the exercise. Choose a weight that wears out the targeted muscle or muscles by your final two repetitions, but still allows you to keep good form. If you choose to add weight, remember that you should be able to continue to do all the repetitions with proper form and the targeted muscles should feel drained by the last two.
  • Stick with your routine. Working all the major muscles of your body two or three times a week is best.
  • Keep in mind, it’s good practice to give your muscles some time off. Always give your muscles at least 48 hours to recover before your next strength training session.

Participation in routine strength training has the potential to offer great value to the overall health and fitness of athletes and those participating at any age, provided age-appropriate training guidelines are followed.