You’ll be hard-pressed to come through this life without sustaining some kind of physical injury along the way. But unless you’re in some kind of unforeseeable accident, there are actually things you can do to prepare your body for the potential of injury. And if you do this preparation correctly, you can avoid a lot of injuries or at least put your body on track for regaining your health and strength at a much quicker pace. To help with this, here are three habits you should start that will help you prevent future injuries.
Strengthen Your Muscles
One of the best things you can do to protect your body from injury is to begin strengthening your muscles. While this doesn’t mean that you need to become a bodybuilder, it does mean that you should strive to have strong muscles that can help shield your body from harm. According to Stephanie Burke, a contributor to Spine-Health.com, having strong muscles, especially in your core, can help provide support to the main areas of your body and cause you to be less prone to injuries. So if you’ve been neglecting strengthening your muscles regularly, you may want to pick you this practice.
Always Warm Up Properly
Whether you plan to participate in an actual workout or you’re simply helping a friend move, it’s important that you allow your body to warm up properly before engaging in any type of physical activity. According to HopkinsMedicine.org, warming up your body, especially by stretching, allows your muscles to get ready for activity and can help prevent you from getting injuries during your activities. While you may feel weird being the only one doing toe-touches or jumping jacks before picking up that couch from the moving truck, you’ll be grateful when you’re also the only one not complaining of back pain at the end of the day.
Don’t Be A Stranger With Your Doctor
To ensure you’re not trying to function through any type of medical problem or pain, you may want to consider seeing your doctor on a regular basis to talk about any issues you may be struggling with. While Elizabeth Renter, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, shares that yearly physicals aren’t typically necessary for those is good health, it’s a good idea to have a primary care physician and to feel comfortable coming to him or her if you have any concerns with your health. By catching problems early, you have a better chance of avoiding injuries or illness that could knock you down hard.
If you want to get ahead of the game and start preventing injuries rather than dealing with them once they strike, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do just that.