I take an exercise class at my church. It’s great fun. I like to exercise, but my husband always points out that my exercise is sporadic. All of a sudden, I’ll decide to do some exercise, and I’ll do the most strenuous workout I can come up with. Then I’ll feel really upset when I’m sore the next day. “I’m so out of shape,” I’ll complain. “How did I get to be so out of shape?” I’ll mope around the house making a show of how sore I am.

This exercise class is good because it doesn’t make me feel like that. I have to admit that the first time I went to the class, I was so sore the next day that I couldn’t stand up, walk up stairs or do anything that required the use of my thigh muscles.

Taking this class got me thinking about things we could do to prevent injuries during our workouts. Since I no longer have a car, I asked the teacher of the exercise class to give me a ride home a couple weeks ago. She lives near me, so I wasn’t being that much of a pain. While we were in the car, I picked her brain for things to include in this post. She’s a physical therapist for the US Women’s Tennis Team, so she has a good brain to pick on this subject.

• Warm up. It is important to warm up before doing any exercise. This loosens your muscles and increases blood flow. If you are doing a specific sport make sure your warm up is functional. The warm up should take you through movements you do in that sport and engage the same muscles you use in that sport.
• Proper shoes. You must make sure you have good quality shoes that fit well. Get shoes that are appropriate for your workout. This will lessen your chance of getting foot and ankle injuries. It will also lessen the likelihood of getting shin splits.
• Posture. Make sure you have the correct posture when doing any exercise. Bad posture can lead to injury.
• Take care of all injuries. If you have been injured previously make sure you see a doctor or physical therapist about it. Your injury needs to be properly cared for. When you exercise with an injury you risk making that injury worse. You also tend to compensate for the injury. This causes you to do the exercise incorrectly and may cause new injuries.
• Drink water. Hydrated muscles are healthier and less rigid.
• Massage. Getting regular massages helps flush waste out of muscles, increases circulation and adds to general muscle health. I’m not just saying that because I’m a massage therapist.

* Remember to consult a doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Photo by Abdullah AL-Naser (Abraaj)