Fitness enthusiasts love to brag about their capacity for pain. “No pain no gain” is a favorite phrase, but it’s important to remember that not all pain is created equal. Pain is something that you have to be careful about when working out. A tough workout will be painful, but pain can also be your body’s way of letting you know that something is wrong.
It’s especially important to be careful after you’ve injured yourself. You could do permanent damage to your body if you workout incorrectly following an injury. If you want to return to health, you need to take the proper steps. This is where we come in; we’ll let you know what you need to keep in mind if you want to get fit without injuring yourself again.
Talk to A Medical Professional
We can give you some general advice, but we can’t address your unique needs with complete accuracy. If you want to know what’s best for your body, then you need personalized advice from a doctor, a physical therapist, or a similar medical professional. Before doing any strenuous activity, you need to talk to someone who can decide whether or not you’re up for the task you have in mind. Physical therapists are especially helpful because they can work with you to develop a training regimen that is right for you.
Consider Supervised Workouts
If you’ve been working out for a while, you know how the world can fade away when you really get into a good workout. It’s one of those things that keeps people coming back to the gym, but it can also be dangerous. When you’re in the middle of a workout, you can get lost in the moment and forget the dangers you need to avoid. There is a reason that professional athletes have trainers who supervise their workouts, you’ll never get to a point where you’re a complete expert. If you have someone watching you and making sure you maintain the proper form and pace you can dramatically decrease the risk of re-injuring yourself.
Avoid Damaging Exercises
Not all exercises are created equal; some are more damaging than others. Doing things like lifting weights and running for extended periods of time can be very rough on your body. If you want to recover you should try and find low-intensity ways to get your body working. Swimming and other aquatic exercises can be fantastic because moving through water gets your muscles working without being too hard on your body.
Pace Yourself
Remember that you don’t need to dive right back into the sort of exercises that you were doing before you were injured. It’s much better to dramatically reduce the intensity and then start to build back up slowly. Keep in mind that building a strong and healthy body is a marathon, not a sprint. If you pace yourself properly, there’s a good chance you’ll get to where you were before your injury, but if you injure yourself, then you may never reach your previous heights. After you’ve been injured, you need to work out smarter, not harder.