The sun is out (finally), flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and it’s getting warm! Spring is here and that can only mean one thing: It’s time to get some exercise outside!
But before you embark on that marathon (or whatever your outdoor exercise of choice is), it’s essential to protect yourself both from injury and from the elements. Here are four tips to ensure your workout is both safe and productive.
Always Stretch Out Before and After
Stretching is one of the most important things you can do to protect your body from injury. The stretching you do will likely depend on the type of exercise you’re doing, but not stretching will put you at grave risk of pulling a muscle or incurring a more serious injury. Additionally, it’s essential to stretch after you exercise as well. This will help your body and muscles cool down more gradually, which in turn protects them from any sudden contractions that might happen once your workout ends.
Protect Your Body
Not only is important to protect your body from injury, but it’s also important to protect yourself from the elements. Now, you might be thinking: What elements? The weather is perfect? You’re not wrong, but you’re not entirely right either. Two things that need protection, particularly in sunny weather, is your skin and your eyes.
First, too much sun exposure to your skin can increase your chances of developing melanoma, or skin cancer. To prevent this, be sure to apply sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15. Second, UV radiation can also harm your eyes, causing things like cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye-related conditions. Be sure to wear sunglasses that are designed to filter out both UV-A and UV-B.
Listen to Your Body
It might be tempting to push yourself just a little further at times, especially when the weather’s agreeable, but it’s really best to listen to your body. If you experience any aches or pains while you’re exercising, be sure to take a break and stretch that part of your body out. And if the pain persists, stop your workout entirely. Most importantly, don’t push yourself beyond the point of pain. You might hear of some people who push past the pain; in reality, though, that often leads to serious injury.
Eat Right and Hydrate
We’re firm believers in you are what you eat, and that means that if you’re increasing your activity while it’s warm, then you need to compensate appropriately in terms of your diet. Spring holidays aside, the time for bulking up on rich, fatty foods as we tend to do over winter is over. It’s time to eat lean, protein and nutrient-rich meals, and to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Eating nutritiously and drinking enough water is essential to having good, productive workouts!
If you want to improve your outdoor workout with minimal risk to injury, contact us. We can develop a personalized plan that will have you springing ahead in no time!
Schedule an appointment today and get help kick starting your path to a healthier, more natural way of living and eating.
Use the form on our site or give us a call us at 301-703-5067.