Recovering from Injuries and Ways to Prevent Future Ones

Recovering from Injuries and Ways to Prevent Future Ones

Lots of people have been injured doing their favorite aerobic activity. Whether it's a sprained ankle, damage to the knee joint, broken toes, etc., it is important that you give your body proper time to heal. Always (obviously if it's serious) talk to your doctor and trust him/her about when to continue exercise. Be encouraged though, because generally when I take a break (1-3 weeks) from aerobic exercise or weight bearing exercise, I see more results after starting up again. Even if it is longer than that, think of it as a new challenge to dominate!

For lots of people aerobic exercise injuries are a result of bad posture, and for aerobic exercise it is generally in reference to our lower body. (Go check out my blog on 'The Squat' to learn more about proper lower body posture) Flattened feet, knees that come together and lower back rounding are all good causes of why we might hurt ourselves in an aerobic activity setting. So, here are some interesting ways that we can strengthen our lower bodies in a functional way.

Ever seen a treadmill? Hope so. Try walking backwards on it. This is going to give you a great workout for your glutes and hamstrings while also strengthening the muscles in your feet. Make sure that as you walk backwards you're extending back far, standing nice and tall, while making sure you are stepping equidistantly back with both legs. Also try walking sideways on the treadmill (switching directions halfway) to exercise your adductors (inner thighs) and abductors (outer thighs), while also strengthening the muscles in your feet. (seeing a trend?) If you stress your feet to function in awkward movements, you will be training them to be strong and firm, and in most cases help prevent more injury while still allowing for great recovery and long-term benefit.

Don't knock it until you try it. If you try it, then you can knock it. Another good idea is using the elliptical backwards (same principle) or just doing any of the treadmill exercises I just mentioned on the ground.