EXERCISE

Injury-free workouts: here's all the advice from the experts

Taking up a sport from scratch, or resuming physical activity after a prolonged period of sedentariness, can have many problems that are perhaps difficult to interpret. Even though one may feel fit, in fact, physical fitness is something to be cultivated and maintained.

The risk of injury, therefore, especially when one is a newcomer to the discipline, is very high, although some techniques and some general guidelines can drastically reduce this risk. 

Just keep in mind a few rules, good for any kind of sport, and the risk of injury is much lower. Although attention and muscle memory are the two most important aspects to avoid injury, they are certainly not the only ones.

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Injury-free workouts: here's all the advice from the experts
Taking up a sport from scratch, or resuming physical activity after a prolonged period of sedentariness, can have many problems that are perhaps difficult to interpret. Even though one may feel fit, in fact, physical fitness is something to be cultivated and maintained. The risk of injury, therefore, especially when one is a newcomer to the discipline, is very high, although some techniques and some general guidelines can drastically reduce this risk. Just keep in mind a few rules, good for any kind of sport, and the risk of injury is much lower. Although attention and muscle memory are the two most important aspects to avoid injury, they are certainly not the only ones.
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Equipment
It is important to check your equipment every time you are about to start a training session or match. In fact, the equipment must be in the best possible condition, both in terms of preservation and wear. As an example, the soles of running shoes need to be checked often: dry rubber or shiny or too smooth treads are things that can impair sports performance and even cause injuries.
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Knowing the environment well
Knowing your territory, and the areas where you are going to practise sport, is essential to conduct everything safely. The most obvious examples are in mountain areas, where you want to go running or downhill. It is unthinkable to do physical activity in such places without knowing the lay of the land and the possible dangers one might encounter.
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Recognizing one's limitations
The best way to get injured when playing sport, any sport, is to want to overdo it, ignoring one's limits and wanting to exaggerate. Classic examples are injuries in the gym, when you want to lift too much weight or want to start without a proper warm-up or without adequate knowledge of the equipment and the movement you are going to do. Another example that can be very dangerous is hiking in the mountains: you can't start out by walking 10km if it is the first time you are going.
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Hydrating is important not only at the end
Many people don't realise it, but hydrating is one of the fundamental components of sport. If you practice a running sport, you know that dehydration leads to cramps, i.e. hardening of the muscles that can last from a few seconds to several hours. Lack of hydration also increases fatigue and clouds the mind, so you are no longer as clear-headed as you were at the start. It is extremely important to hydrate properly, perhaps with the addition of minerals, both before, during and after training.
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Playing sports together improves performance
Here a clarification is in order. Usually, being in a group helps you manage your energy and push your limits, as well as being a great way to ensure individual safety. However, when practising sports in a group, such as running, it is essential that all participants are more or less at the same level, or else you risk wasting time and energy unnecessarily, and even getting injured.
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