Multi-sport & Recreation Video Tip
Five Ways to Prevent Injuries in Athletes
Staying strong and healthy is very important to your athletic success! Learn some basic injury prevention tactics at Camp All-Star!
1. Athletes who follow a controlled strength training program reduce their chances of a severe injury. Weight training will build strong muscles which will provide strong protection for your bones. Studies have shown that the two biggest factors that contribute to an athlete’s injury include conditioning and the coaching. So building a strong foundation (aka your body), will help reduce the risk of injury and enhance your performance.
2. Cardiorespiratory fitness we all know is the ability of the circulatory and respiratory system to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during physical activity. Doing cardio exercises such as endurance running, biking, and even speed training will all help make each of these systems more efficient resulting in a healthier heart and less medical problems here.
3. Yoga is well known for an assorted amount of benefits ranging from increasing strength, flexibility, agility, balance, and metal agility. All of these are extremely crucial to have as an athlete. Core plays a big role in yoga and also in most sports. Most people don’t realize it but you use your core for almost everything you do! It stabilizes and allows for movement. Another really important quality to have as an athlete is flexibility. This can prevent athletes from many injuries allowing your muscles to stretch farther and preventing any taring. Flexibility will not only assist in an athlete’s lifestyle, but it will benefit you as you become older; it allows complete rotation of your muscles. This comes into play when people tend to grow older they tend not to move as much and they become stiff which can lead to aches and pains.
4. Hydrations is key! Especially for athletes. Water regulates your body’s temperature and transports nutrients throughout your body to give you energy. If you are not properly hydrated then you cannot perform at your highest level. Being dehydrated can lead to a various amount of things such as fatigue, muscle cramps, dizziness, and even more serious symptoms. Athletes usually require more water than others because they have to take into consideration the sweat that is leaving their bodies while performing.
One of the number one factors that contributes to an athlete’s performance is their nutrient intake. The three macronutrients to really focus on are carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
5. Protein is essential because it is building blocks for muscle tissue. When you work out a muscle group, the muscle tissue is being broken down in order to grow and recover. Muscles are fed through amino acids and protein which is why protein is so important to consume when you are training!
Carbohydrates main purpose is to provide the body energy and fuel for the body. In order to perform your best you want to make sure you are consuming enough carbohydrates to receive your highest potential energy level.
Fats actually provide the body’s tissues and organs with most of their energy. They are also important for building muscle, providing energy, and assisting the body in functioning properly.
As you can see what you eat influences how you feel physically and mentally. If you are not receiving the proper amount of each of these nutrients you may not be feeling or performing your best. It is important to do whatever it takes to reach your full potential so you can be the best you can be. If your body is becoming malnourished; especially for athletes this could lead to some serious health problems and sever injuries.