Five hacks to avoid the spring niggles
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Spring niggles. Don’t worry – it happens to the best of us.
Spring is a popular time for people to step up their exercise routines after a long, cold winter.
Have you started increasing your movement routine? Signed up for a fun run or walk? Do you have a plan? What’s your formula for staying injury free?
As the warmer weather hits, the motivation to move increases. Make sure you give yourself time to build up and manage the load. Otherwise, before you know it, October is upon you, and the body can’t take the increased mileage. Niggles appear, and the motivation decreases. Shin splints and Achilles tendon pain, anyone? It’s important to listen to your body, have a structured plan, and gradually increase your activity levels to avoid these types of injuries.
Have you been preparing your body for this extra load, over winter? My guess is probably not! Motivation is dynamic and changing all the time depending on lifestyle and external barriers. Let’s help ourselves, and pre-plan our movement routine.
Here are my five hacks to avoid the spring niggles:
Have a specific warm-up
It is important to properly warm up before engaging in physical activity. You need a customised, functional sports-specific warm-up routine that will activate and prepare your muscles for the activity ahead. It doesn’t have to be fancy – just specific to your chosen activity. Just 10 to 15 minutes of low-moderate intensity movements, followed by dynamic stretching, should give yourself enough time to adequately prepare your body.
Think about footwear and biomechanics
It is essential to wear shoes that provide support and cushioning for your feet. I’d encourage getting a proper assessment from Athletes Foot and reduce the risk of injury. Furthermore, an Allied Health Professional can assist to strengthen your feet and ankles to improve your biomechanics.
It’s the simple pre-planned actions that have the most impact.
Consistency is key
Have a plan for progressive overload (made by a professional) and stick to it. Make sure they know your daily and weekly stressors, so they can tailor the program appropriately. It doesn’t have to be fancy – just consistent and enjoyable.
Have scheduled recovery days or low load days
Depending on your injury history, low load days are essential to prevent overuse injuries. A low load day or week is where you decrease the duration and intensity spent on your legs; giving your body time to heal and regenerate. Prevention is key.
10 minutes of strength bands is worth it
Here’s a simple lower limb strength band workout I love to do to keep my legs and hips happy, mobile, and strong. Wrap the resistance band around your legs, and away you go. You can buy a micro or fabric band from Kmart or Rebel Sport.
So, there are my hacks to keep the niggles away – as you can see, simplicity is the key. By taking these five steps, you can enjoy a healthy and active spring season without the niggles.
If you want to stay motivated throughout spring, tune in to ABC Radio Canberra Mornings for the “Movers & Shakers” segment, every Tuesday at 10 am. I’ll personally guide you through an exciting exercise challenge designed to get you moving and feeling great. We also have an accountability chart and habit stacking planner you can print off and follow along with each week’s exercise program.
Have you started increasing your exercise routine? What’s your formula to stay injury free?
Love, Kirra.
