Unleashing Your Weekend Warrior
Spring season is here in Vancouver and we’re getting a great dose of sunshine. What better time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! If you’re like me and have been hibernating over the winter season, it’s probably a good idea to ease yourself back into activities. For us weekend warriors, this is prime time to get going but the last thing you would want is to lose any time in the sun because of injury. So before you get out on the seawall or hiking trails, be sure to follow these tips:
- Warm up thoroughly
An oldie but a goodie. But what does warming up really mean? In my opinion, it means getting your muscles to feel more mobile and to lubricate your joints. It can be any activity that gets you into a gentle sweat. That way you know that you’ve increased your internal temperature enough to perspire and your heart rate has increased.
- Power up your core
Your core is a group of muscles that supports your lumbar spine and pelvis. A lot of injuries that I see are blamed on having a weak core. While that’s usually true, another possibility may be your core muscles are delayed in firing. Think about how you feel right when you get of bed in the morning. Rather than assuming your core muscles are weak, it can also be that the muscles are not working in coordinated fashion. Powering them up with a few simple exercises can be helpful.
- Hydration and electrolytes
Muscle strength and flexibility can be compromised if your body is not hydrated properly. The easiest example is the sensation of getting cramps. The tricky thing about this issue is that it roots more from a metabolic cause so mechanical fixes like stretching and firing up muscles may not help. Be sure to hydrate before activity and have more liquids available during activity
Be sure to give the warm up exercises a try and make sure they feel like healthy movements that are not painful. Also note that you can do a variety of exercises that can also warm you up and get your core activated. If you have any questions about exercises or are experiencing pain, feel free to contact a physiotherapist. Now get out there and enjoy the sun!
Byron Chan, BScPT, GIMS, CAFCI
About twice a month our therapists will be posting answers to commonly asked questions. So, if you have a burning question that you want answered let us know in the comments below.
We can cover anything ranging from active rehabilitation, to injury prevention.
This week our featured therapist is Byron Chan. To learn more about Byron check out our PhysioWorks team.
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