Top 5 tips for staying injury free on all of your outdoor adventures this summer
It took a little while this year, but summer is finally here! We’re gearing up for all the hiking, backpacking, camping, biking, and mountaineering that inevitably increases at this time of year, and know that many of you will be doing the same! Here are a few quick tips that will help to keep you feeling good and injury free and on the trails this summer.
Cross train: as you increase your mileage, make sure you are varying your movement with different types of endurance training and strengthening exercises. Performing sport-specific strength training 2-3 times a week greatly reduces your risk of injury and can improve your performance out on the trail. Mixing up your cardio training by varying distance, speed, and exercise type (ie if you are a runner, try walking, stair climbing, biking, swimming 1-2 days a week, if you are a cyclist, try walking, running, swimming 1-2 days a week) can also help to reduce your risk of injury. If you want help creating a sport specific strengthening routine, feel free to request a consult with one of our PT’s here.
Stretch: Make sure that you are mixing in stretching to your routine! It is recommended that mobility work be included in endurance training at least 2-3 times per week. In addition to this, performing a dynamic warm up before activity and cool down stretching after is key to injury prevention! Oftentimes being out on the trail means you are sitting in the car before and after activity. Doing dynamic stretches after getting out of the car and before you start off on a trail means that your neuromusculoskeletal system is primed for activity and movement, rather than starting out cold. Static cool down stretches after ensures that you don’t tighten up after activity.
Listen to your body: Being in touch with what you are feeling in your body can make a huge impact on your chance of injury while outdoors. If you ever feel sharp or persistent pain, it’s a good idea to either decrease intensity of your activity, or cut back your mileage. Being proactive about these types of aches and pains can help greatly too! If you keep having pain a few days after you have rested from an activity, make sure to get in touch with a physician or physical therapist to have it addressed quickly.
Don’t forget to rest: I can’t stress this point enough! Carving out 1-2 days of rest from endurance training per week, and 1 week of decreased mileage every 4-6 weeks makes a huge difference in your body's ability to recover. Many overuse strains are caused by a lack of rest and an overload of your body’s metabolic capacity.
Proper diet and hydration: Your capacity for endurance activity is dictated by your body’s ability to use fuel and oxygen to create long lasting energy for your muscles to use over long periods of time. This makes having a balanced diet and staying hydrated so important! If your body doesn’t have adequate fuel to sustain the activity, muscles don’t perform as well and this is typically when we can start running into overuse injuries.
