Strategies to Safely and Successfully Improve Fitness

Each January, Americans rush back to the gym determined to burn off holiday season calories and work toward New Year's resolutions to get into shape. Unfortunately, various studies indicate that more than half of those who join a gym or fitness club will drop out within 3-6 months. One common reason is injury.

Avoiding Overtraining Injuries

No matter the activity (running, swimming, weight lifting, etc), when working to improve your fitness you need to push yourself in order to see results. But pushing yourself too hard can result in injuries that are detrimental to your fitness goals. Here are some tips to avoid overtraining injuries:

-Don't increase exercise difficulty level too quickly. Exercise needs to be progressed steadily at a gradual pace. Following a structured plan that increases your activity incrementally and safely can help you stay healthy and pain free.

For example:

-For running, increasing difficulty may include increasing speed, running up or downhill, increasing duration, and use of intervals, where you alternate intensity over time.

-For resistance training, increasing difficulty may include increased weight, repetitions, sets, and decreasing the amount of time to perform the same amount of exercise.

-Pay attention to your body.Your body is smart. If it feels like you are developing signs of overtraining, then take a break, lessen your activity, or rest.

-Ease into it. Particularly if you are new to fitness or altering your exercise activities, take it slow. Don't expect to make up for several months of inactivity with a few weeks of exercise. Aim for long-term consistency, not overnight success. People who try to do too much too soon often end up injured or frustrated and give up on their fitness goals altogether.

-Take a break. If you have a scheduled rest day in your plan, use it, you've earned it! Your bones, joints, and muscles need rest days to stay healthy.

-Get rest. Recent studies are supporting the important role of sleep in the health of active people and athletes. This is when our bodies' build and repair and our immune system recovers.

-Eat well. Proper nutrition is essential to the health of your body. Do not severely restrict calories when exercising. Make sure to eat proper nutrients, including plenty of lean meats, fruits and vegetables.

How will a physical therapist help me meet

my fitness goals?

Physical therapists are movement experts, and work with people of all ages and levels of activity. During a visit, a physical therapist can:

-Check your flexibility, strength, and endurance of muscles to support your desired level of activity.

-Ensure that symptoms are due to overuse or overtraining and not something more serious.

-Identify training errors to ensure a safe fitness plan, no matter your previous level of activity.

-Correct biomechanical problems in form with your chosen activity to avoid overuse of a susceptible body part.

-Provide appropriate training plan to minimize risk of injury and help you safely meet your fitness goals.

If getting back in shape is on your resolution list, make an appointment to see a physical therapist at 574-233-5754.

*Moveforwardpt.com 12/31/2013