Exercise : Getting Off On The Right Food

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

"To thine own self be true," Shakespeare wrote, and a long, hard look at yourself is the first recommendation of experts in preventing athletic injuries. Determining realistic goals, choosing appropriate activities, starting out slowly, progressing gradually, and taking the time for proper warm-ups and cool-downs can prevent a lot of sports injuries. So will a few short and easy preventive measures.

"Before you start any exercise, sports, or fitness program, you need to educate yourself," advises Neil MacDonald, director of the Sports Medicine Center in Baltimore, "and the first thing to educate yourself about is yourself. A person has to realize that he's 35 years old and 20 pounds overweight, not a high-school athlete."

After having a complete physical examination, including a stress test and a family history, you can plan a fitness program that is suited to your individual needs and preferences. Anyone can benefit from a thorough check-up, but certainly if you are over 40 and have a history of heart disease or problems with overweight, smoking or drinking, a complete evaluation is essential before beginning a regimen of vigorous exercise. In addition, your attending physician might have some good ideas on how best to carry out your fitness program.

Before you can accomplish, or even begin, a fitness program, experts say, you must choose realistic goals: You must identify what you want to accomplish and tailor your exercise program to those long-range aims. According to Robert Nirschl, M.D., assistant professor of clinical orthopedics at Georgetown University and medical director of the Virginia Sports Medicine Institute in Arlington, "Don't take up a sport to get into shape; get into shape to take up a sport. A 50-pound overweight man with an arthritic knee should get rid of the fat and strengthen his muscles to protect that weak knee before he takes up weekend racquetball, football or jogging."

Once you have set reasonable goals, you'll avoid a lot of injuries by starting out modestly and progressing slowly. "Going too far too fast is self-defeating," explains Nirschl. "You may get some short-term benefits, but you can't sustain that kind of performance, [and you might] get an injury; your whole fitness program ends in three days."

So, "you have to walk before you can run" is a good motto, both figuratively and literally. Indeed, MacDonald recommends walking rather than jogging to a lot of people these days, and even then he has them work up slowly. Even 10 minutes of vigorous exercise per day can help you maintain your health, though you can improve your condition substantially by working up to 30 minutes every other day.

MacDonald points out that non-athletes achieve maximum cardiovascular benefits from exercising vigorously for at least 30 minutes three to four times a week. Working out every day increases the "risk-benefit" ratio: The risk of injury may outweigh the fitness benefit gained.

Gabe Mirkin, M.D., advocates 48-hour recovery periods between strenuous workouts, and stopping activity if there is discomfort. An "alternate day" exercise program — allowing the body 48 hours to recover from workouts — can be accomplished in various ways, explains the fitness author and columnist. A young, athletic person might work out "hard/easy" — push himself or herself hard one day, easy the next. An older person might alternate sports, so as not to constantly stress the same parts of the body; someone over 50 might work out every other day, and just rest or do some gentle stretching on alternate days.

Not only should your entire fitness program start out slowly and progress gradually, but each day's regimen should include a warm-up that gently brings your body up to a level where it can do vigorous exercise, and then a cool-down to return to a normal activity level. A few minutes of walking, for example, might be a good way to begin and end each session of jogging. Stretching after warm-ups and cool-downs is also generally recommended.

Though most of us are busy and want to accomplish a lot in a short time, warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching add only minutes to the regimen. In fact, if you are strapped for time, fitness experts recommend reducing the amount of time spent on vigorous exercise, rather than cutting out warm-ups, cool-downs, or stretching. They not only help prevent injuries, but help the body exercise and function more efficiently in the long run.

Michael McGinnis, M.D., deputy assistant secretary for the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, suggests some general measures to help prevent sports injuries: Wear properly fitting shoes. Walk or run on familiar, well-known routes. Drink plenty of fluids. Don't run in the heat of the day. Don't run at night or twilight, or, if you must, wear reflectors and light-colored clothing.

Also, wear clothing appropriate to the weather. Simply wearing more or fewer layers of clothing can prevent hypothermia — the extreme loss of body heat — or hyperthermia — too much body heat.

Wearing clothing with no seams or soft seams can prevent chafing and irritation of the skin. Wearing properly fitting shoes and the right thickness of socks can also prevent blisters, another common sports injury.

About the Author

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FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.