How to Stay Safe: At Home Exercise Injury Prevention in Kansas City

A great way to combat some of the side effects of staying at home during the Coronavirus Pandemic is to remain active. Because of this, many of us are embracing new fitness avenues at home. Our team at F.I.T. Muscle & Joint Clinic thinks this is fantastic! However, with new and different fitness avenues comes new and different injuries (if not done wisely). That is why we also focus on at home exercise injury prevention in Kansas City. 

Here we will discuss why warming up before exercise is even more important during our extra time at home and the importance of maintaining form and safety with our makeshift home exercise equipment. We will also highlight our need to allow our body to adapt to a new workout routine. 

Why warming up is important

We’ve all heard the importance of warming up before exercise. However, warming up is key to at home exercise prevention in Kansas City. For many people, practicing social distancing leads to less activity and more time sitting around at home. 

When we sit for hours at a time (i.e. working from our home desk or binge watching our favorite shows), our muscles and tendons may not be ready for intense exercise at a moment’s notice. This added sedentary time calls for some added warm up time. Jumping into your workout before the body is warmed up properly could lead to unwanted strains/sprains. To prevent these types of injuries, try completing 10-20 reps of jumping jacks, air squats, and push ups (from the knees if needed).

Pro tip:  Be sure to focus your warm up on the specific muscle groups you will be working. A simple way to do this is to add one or two warm up sets of the exact exercise you will be doing in your workout at a dialed down volume and intensity. Rest for a couple of minutes after your warm up sets, and then you should be ready to roll with your at home workout!

How to exercise at home safely with makeshift equipment

When we begin embracing new fitness avenues at home, this often includes makeshift equipment found around the house. Whether it is curling jugs of milk or squatting with a suitcase on your back, this makeshift equipment is usually much different than equipment you find at the gym. To prevent injury, it is important to ensure you can use those makeshift accessories in a way that promotes proper form and is safe. If you are using some kind of furniture to aid in your workouts, like using a bench to do step ups, it is vital that the furniture is stable and can support your weight and movements. No one wants to sustain a new injury from falling off the coffee table!

Remember: Don’t start too fast too soon

Whenever implementing a new workout routine, allowing your body to adapt is important for at home injury prevention. You can do this by building up the volume and intensity over a period of time. This could mean adding weight, reps, or intensity as time goes on to allow the body to adapt to the new stresses you are putting on it. 

When we try to do too much weight, or too many reps, at too high of an intensity before the body has a chance to adapt, injury is likely to occur. If your new fitness routine at home consists of different movements than those you are used to doing, remember to start light during the first week. Then, bump things up a notch the next week and so on. 

The key takeaway for at home injury prevention in Kansas City

The saying “movement is medicine” often has some truth to it. This is why we will always recommend people to live active lives, even when we have to stay at home.

Exercise can help clear the mind and keep the body going strong. However, it is important to be proactive in preventing injury as we embrace new fitness avenues at home so that we can continue to be active long term. 

Some ways we can do this is by warming up before we exercise, making sure our equipment is safe and promotes proper form, and allowing our bodies to adapt to our new routines. With these steps, you will drastically decrease your chances of getting a workout related injury during this time!

Learn more with  F.I.T. Muscle & Joint Clinic 

Our expert team of chiropractors and physical therapists believe that staying active is very important, especially during this hard time. We’re always here to help with at home injury prevention in Kansas City  to keep your joints and muscles in tip-top shape.

To learn more, you can always contact us or even schedule an appointment if you have an injury.

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