While working out and getting exercise on a regular basis is great for your mental and physical health, it can be easy for people to overdo it. Especially if you’re particularly concerned with how your body looks or performs, it’s not uncommon to spend hours in a gym or working out multiple days throughout the week. And although this can be done safely, it also can cause undue stress and strain on your body if you’re not careful. When this happens, you could be out of commission from more than just your exercise routines, needing to stay home from work or resulting in necessary medical attention. So to ensure this doesn’t happen to you, here are three tips for protecting your body when working out.
Try Cross-Training
One of the best ways to keep your body from wearing out or breaking down from a large amount of exercise is to cross-train. According to Kristin Gustafson, a contributor to Active.com, cross-training is when you focus on targeting different muscles groups of your body on different ways of the week. This gives the other muscles groups a chance to rest and recover while you’re still getting the exercise you want or need. By switching up your routines at least a few times per week, you will be giving your body the break it needs in order to heal any muscles tears or weaknesses before they become worse and result in injury.
Don’t Ignore Pain or Fatigue
Another aspect of protecting your body while working out includes knowing when you’ve had enough and listening to your body. According to Scott Laidler, a contributor to The Telegraph, many people try to play through the pain or excuse an injury as something less serious. However, when you choose to do this, you’re only putting yourself at higher risk for getting a more major injury that could result in trauma to your body. So before you decide to exercise when your body’s in pain or feeling particularly fatigued, think about it this workout is worth potentially having to sit out for a few days or more while your body heals.
Ask An Expert
A huge reason for people getting hurt when working out is because they aren’t using the proper form. If you’re using a machine or trying a technique that you’re not familiar with, Jessica Smith, a contributor to Shape.com, shares that it’s much better to ask an expert, be it a trainer at your gym or a health-conscious friend, to share some of their knowledge or give you a hand. By doing this, you’ll be able to learn the safest way to get a good workout without putting yourself at risk of getting injured.
To help you keep your body healthy, consider using the tips mentioned above to stay safe and protected when working out.