With the weather warming and the sun shining, it can only mean one thing: Spring is coming. But before you hit the open trail in hopes of beginning your outdoor exercise routine, experts say you should cool down first.
“The harsher the winter, the more we have to be careful not to come back too fast, too soon,” says Tom Holland, a running coach and exercise physiologist. “Even people who are generally fit might do less over the winter.”
And, if you decide to rush back into spring exercise, chances are likely you’ll run into an overuse injury, such as a sprain or strain, say experts. In fact, doing anything in rapid succession, even if you’re already “fit”, is more likely to raise your risk of injury, due to the intense pressure it puts on the muscles and joints.
Sometimes, less is more.
“On a treadmill the belt is essentially kicking your foot back,” says Chris McGrath, a senior fitness consultant for the American Council on Exercise. “You’re not pulling yourself along the ground as much as when you’re running on a street. If you’ve been taking spin classes and then go to a hilly area, it’s going to be different.”
Not taking the precaution to start slow could result in some painful injuries down the road also, says McGrath, who notes that shin splits are common for those who don’t pace themselves into the spring.
How to Pace Yourself
Sure, the warmer temperatures mean it’s finally time to hit the outdoors once again–but are you exercising in the right way? To minimize your risk of injury, follow these tips to keep your spring workouts injury-free:
1. Warm up first. Studies show that warming up reduces your injury risk because it warms up the muscles, therefore making it easier for them to absorb the impact of the pavement or grass. As a rule of thumb, for every hour of exercise, your warm-up should be 10 percent as long–so if you’re exercising for 2 hours, plan on warming up for 20 minutes.
2. Make sure you have the right shoes. Working out in a gym is fairly easy on your joints, but that isn’t the case once you head outdoors–the hard pavement often opens up your body to any number of injuries. To make it easier on your joints, make sure you’re wearing the right shoes. For instance, if you plan to run outdoors, make sure you’re wearing a new pair of running shoes, as opposed to regular tennis shoes.
3. Go slow and steady. Remember, exercise isn’t a race–it’s a journey. To start off, work out slightly less than you usually would in a gym, and then slow raise the length and intensity in small, 10 percent increments. As a result, your body will slowly adapt to your new environment, reducing your risk of injury.
Readers: What else do you do to stay safe while exercising outdoors?
Source:
Exercise Caution for Spring Workouts, Say Experts – NYDailyNews.com
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