EXERCISE ALARM BELLS.

We are all human; nobody is invincible. Whether you are a seasoned athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone trying to get back into an exercise routine, everyone is susceptible to injury.

One of the most common mistakes people make in their fitness journey is doing too much, too soon. We get it – you’re excited and motivated to reach your goal, and probably want to achieve it as fast as possible. However, this is when you can run into trouble. There are a few reasons why doing too much, too soon can be a problem:

• First, you may not be giving yourself enough time to build a base level of strength, endurance, and/or flexibility needed to safely increase the intensity, volume, or frequency of exercise you’re trying to achieve.
• Second, this mentality is often coupled with not enough rest. If you’re not giving your body enough time to recover between exercise sessions, you could be going into the next workout already tired and depleted, putting yourself at risk of injury.
• Last, and probably most importantly, you may not be listening to your body. Sometimes when you’re so driven to reach your goal, you ignore those little messages your body is sending, trying to tell you you’re doing too much, until eventually those little signals become blaring alarm bells and you start experiencing pain.

So, if you’ve been wondering why your (insert body part here) started hurting out of the blue, this could be why. Sometimes it is important to exercise a little patience and remember that achieving your fitness goals is the same as any other goal – it is a process and will take time – but you’ll get there eventually.

How Can Physiotherapy Help?

Now you may be wondering what we can do for you. Physiotherapists are trained in both injury prevention and rehabilitation. If you’re thinking of starting a new activity, or ramping up your current routine, your physiotherapist can help assess for any areas of weakness or underlying factors that could contribute to injury. If you’re already experiencing the effects of doing “too much, too soon”, we can help you recover from your injury and help you achieve your goals.

Contact the clinic to learn more, or book an appointment.