Preventative Care: How proper warm ups protect your body

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or new to working out, it’s crucial to think about the ways that you can protect yourself from injury when exercising. Without proper technique, it can be easy to injure yourself, potentially putting your fitness goals on hold. If you’ve suffered injuries in the past, our physical therapists at Motus Integrative Health may be able to help advise you on how best to move forward. 

Importance of Warm Ups

Before undergoing rigorous exercise, it’s crucial to take the time to understand all the parts of a good workout. According to the American Heart Association, taking the time to warm up before an exercise can help prepare your body for the strain, increasing performance and helping to prevent injury. “A good warm-up before a workout dilates your blood vessels, ensuring that your muscles are well supplied with oxygen,” the Association says.

Not only will warming up before exercise make you feel better, but taking the time to stretch and prepare may decrease muscle pain and stiffness. After you’ve gotten done working out, it’s just as important to cool down, slowly decreasing your activity levels by walking or stretching while your body readjusts. 

How to Warm Up

In general, warming up before exercise is a simple process that anyone can get started with. The American Heart Association recommends warming up for five to 10 minutes, although “the more intense the activity, the longer the warm-up.”

For instance, if you’re planning to run on a treadmill for 20 minutes, you might take five beforehand to walk at a gradual pace, slowly getting your muscles ready for the upcoming workout. 

Exercise-Related Injuries

According to experts, while skipping a warm up might seem harmless, it can actually open you up to the possibility of injuries like muscle strains. Not only is a muscle injury, of course, painful, but it could set you back on your fitness goals while you recover. Taking the time to properly warm up and cool down is an easy way to ensure that your exercise remains safe, efficient, and effective. 

Help from a Physical Therapist

Whether you are new to exercise or learning to perfect your form for athletic competition, our physical therapists at Motus Integrative Health can help. A specialist can help you to improve your efficiency, reduce risk of injury, and focus on the precise muscle groups you’re looking to work with. 

When exercising on your own, no matter how careful you are, accidents can happen. If you’ve suffered an exercise-related injury, a physical therapist may be able to help. A trained physical therapist will be able to best guide you down the road of recovery, and advise on how best to prevent reinjury and move without further aggravating the issue at hand. 

Scheduling an Appointment

No matter where you’re at in your exercise journey, a physical therapist can help you learn the techniques to improve your form and prevent injury. If you’re already struggling with an injury, physical therapy may be able to help you towards recovery and getting back to moving and feeling your best. To learn more or schedule a FREE consultation with one of our doctors at Motus Integrative Health, contact us today.