Living fit and healthy requires dedication to exercise and a good diet. Professional athletes, workout enthusiasts, and beginners alike must follow specific plans to help them reach their fitness goals.
But there are occasions when the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle is interrupted by a thing many dread the most: injuries. Sometimes, injuries stem from accidents in the field, especially for those who play contact sports. However, there are times when injuries occur due to negligence or oversight on the part of an individual.
Take note of these lifestyle and workout mistakes to avoid unnecessary injuries.
Bad Habit #1: Not Working with Trainers and Fitness Experts
Explainer videos and fitness apps are plenty informative, but a fitness coach can help you maintain proper form in your exercises. They also know to provide a customized workout plan to help you accomplish your fitness goals.
Additionally chiropractic services do much to prevent serious sports injuries in the future. Even a common injury such as a sprain should merit an appointment with a chiropractor. This is because a chiropractor examines your muscles, joints, and bones to correct irregularities that could hinder your athletic performance.
A trainer ensures that you do your exercises safely and efficiently. On the other hand, working with a chiropractor treats pre-existing conditions and keeps new issues from occurring.
Bad Habit #2: Paying Little Attention to Your Nutrition
There are occasions when a person becomes so fixated on their exercises that they overlook the important factor of following a proper diet. Too much intake of processed foods or having irregular meals harms your health in the long run.
Pay your nutritionist a visit to learn about the best meal plans that could support your sports or exercise routines. There are also many resources online to assist you in developing the right diet plan.
As a basic guide, eat heavier meals three to four hours before you work out. Do not forget to stay hydrated, too, throughout the day and especially when you sweat.
Bad Habit #3: Not Resting in Between Workouts
Keeping an active lifestyle does not mean never taking days off to rest. Any successful exercise plan comes with days dedicated to giving the body a break.
Your body needs this time because working out creates small tears in your muscles. In the rest period, the tissue begins to repair these tears, which leads to the growth of muscles.
Too much exercise also gets in the way of proper sleeping habits. Your body is in danger of overproducing cortisol and adrenaline if you work out excessively, interrupting sleep schedules and leading to fatigue.
Bad Habit #4: Only Doing the Same Exercises
When you find a particular sport or activity that you like, it encourages you to keep doing it. Doing something you find enjoyable is not bad; it is actually a great motivator. However, there comes the point when your body adjusts to the routine and you achieve minimal benefits from that activity.
Practicing the same workouts regularly could lead you to a plateau in your fitness journey. Follow a dynamic scheme that helps you build your strength and endurance. When your body grows accustomed to a routine, add more reps or increase the difficulty level to help yourself improve.
Switching up your exercises also gives muscles time to rest while you train other parts of your body. It gives you a balanced and safe approach to fitness.
Bad Habit #5: Not Wearing the Proper Attire
The road to a fit and healthy lifestyle also means dressing the part-and not just for superficial reasons. Putting on workout clothes is uniquely motivating, but it also protects you from accidents and other issues.
A frequently disregarded aspect of proper exercise attire is footwear. You should match your shoes with the kind of exercise you are doing. For instance, you will require different rubber shoes for running on trails and jogging on the roadside. Cross-training shoes are also best for your indoor workouts.
You should also make sure that your workout clothes are not too tight or too loose. Tight-fitting clothes could lead to uncomfortable joint pains and bacterial infections. If they are too loose, you can easily stumble on your clothes in the middle of a workout.
Find the right balance of comfort and safety when choosing workout clothes that apply to your sport or routine.
Prevention Is Better than Cure
As you continue exercising, listen to the needs of your body. Practicing healthy habits from the get-go keeps you from injuries that will keep you on the bench for a while. When you avoid injury, you remove interruptions to your pursuit of a fit and healthy lifestyle.
