frigga dormer: Your Health: Start slow and train smart when engaging in exercise ...

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Your Health: Start slow and train smart when engaging in exercise ...

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

By Grant Gensheimer
KyForward columnist
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With summer here, many of us have decided to get back into our running or walking routines. Whether you are training for your first race, looking to improve your overall health or just trying to lose a few pounds, it is important that you take certain steps in order to be successful.
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One of the main goals when designing any exercise program ? whether it is for walking, running or anything ? is to maximize your chances for success while minimizing your risk of injury. You could start off your training by running or walking 10 miles a day. This maximizes your chances of improving your fitness, but it also maximizes your risk for injury. Thus, this is a very poor choice for beginning your training.
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Before you start a routine, consider this advice:
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Ask your doctor. Before beginning any exercise routine it is important that you tell your doctor what your plans are and see if there is anything you should avoid or if there are special precautions you should take while exercising.
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Start slowly. Whether you used to be a great runner or you have never exercised before it is important that you start conservatively and slowly build from there. Doing too much running or walking too quickly can lead to injury relatively quickly. Some common injuries related to increasing mileage too quickly include shin splints, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis. Any of these overuse injuries can halt your training for weeks or sometimes even months at a time.
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Check your shoes. If your shoes show visible signs of wear and tear it is probably time to get a new pair. Even if your shoes still appear relatively new on the outside they may have lost much of their cushioning and protection on the inside.
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Also make sure you are wearing the appropriate shoe for your type of foot (flat feet, normal or high arches). Wearing worn out or improper shoes is one of the leading causes of some of the lower leg and foot injuries previously mentioned while also being one of the easiest to prevent.
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Strength and flexibility. Including some days of strength and/or flexibility training into your running/walking routine is a great way to further minimize your risk of injury. Strength training can help to improve the strength and resilience of your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Flexibility training can help to reduce the stress on your knees and lower back. If done after your workout flexibility training can help to prevent some muscle soreness.
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grant