Tis The Season for Weekend Warriors

It’s that time of the year again when fitness competitions, races and events are taking place every weekend. All of these events are an awesome source of physical activity, a great form of socialization and a ton of fun! However, with these often comes injuries like sprained ankles, hamstring strains, broken bones or just pain and soreness. So here’s a little advice for all our weekend warriors. 

Practice first! If you have never ran before the actual event is probably not the best time to start. Train before to ensure that you are able to perform at your best. The key to almost every workout and sport is to work on activities beforehand that support the sport such as strengthening, stretching and conditioning. 

Stretch! Make sure to check out our last blog post on stretching recommendations. Dynamic stretching should always be done before an event and static stretching should be done after the event. Tight muscles and tendons are more likely to be strained. Make sure you are allowing extra time both before and after when training and at the actual event. 

Stay hydrated! Make sure you are drinking lots of water before, after and even during. Water helps to regulate body temperature, regulate blood pressure and helps the movement and transport of essential energy nutrients. 

See your chiropractor! Many people think chiropractors can only help with pain management when really they can help with INJURY PREVENTION. Chiropractors can make sure that joints are moving properly, there is proper muscular balance and help with any aches or pains that may occur when running or doing any obstacles. They can also help with any overuse injuries that may occur such as stress fractures and muscle strains. One great example of this is trigger points- trigger points develop in muscles that are overused and must be manually destroyed in order to maintain proper function of the muscle. This is one technique that your chiropractor can help with to prevent overuse injuries from occurring. Even the best conditioning and training can’t always prevent injury. By tending to minor injuries like muscle aches, stiffness and minor strains you can prevent more serious injuries down the road. 

Set realistic goals and listen to your body! You may be mentally ready to run a 10k but without proper training and working up to that distance you are increasing your risk of overuse injuries. If your workout plan is causing you pain, back off and see your chiropractor. It is always better to play it safe than to risk getting hurt. Your body will thank you after. 

Ask us if you have any questions about how we can help you prepare or recover from your events and races!