Keeping active is one of the best things we can do for our bodies and minds. While there’s plenty to consider about the best ways to stay fit, you also need to consider your safety whilst doing so. There are many different scenarios where you could injure yourself or leave yourself in a vulnerable position. Still, you can significantly reduce your risk as long as you take the proper precautions and take the time to understand.
With any sport, hobby, or activity, it’s essential to make sure that you are hydrated and have sufficient energy to encourage peak performance and reduce any damage to your body. Fruits and nuts are a great way to get sugar and slow-release energy that can benefit your recovery and how you feel before, during, or after any sports. Make sure you always bring plenty of water and a healthy snack with you for any kind of activity.
Running
If you’re running outside, you need to make sure that you are in a well-lit area, ideally with someone else, and have plenty of battery on your phone. Make sure you let some of your loved ones know your routine and where you are going running if you are going out early morning or late at night. If you are new to running, make sure you take it steady at first and find somewhere with terrain that you are comfortable with. As much as it’s great to push yourself, a badly sprained ankle or worse injury is not worth the risk. If you have weaknesses in your legs, look into the best supports or use kinesiology tape on any areas that require it.
Cycling
If you are new to cycling, there is a lot to consider. If you’re looking for a gentle ride around the park, you may not need to go all out on your safety equipment other than a helmet or anything else you might feel is necessary for any weaknesses. If you are opting for the more extreme side of cycling, you will need mountain bike elbow pads, knee pads, body protection, and more to protect yourself.
Bike theft is, unfortunately, widespread. There are ways that you can reduce bike theft. You can take precautions, such as making sure your bike is registered and locked. Removing any detachable parts is really helpful (this might not be convenient if you are popping quickly into a shop, but it might be worth considering if you are visiting somewhere for a few hours). You will also need to make sure that you have a safe place to store your bike and invest in a good bike lock for when you’re out and about.
Skateboarding/Rollerblading
With any kind of sport like skateboarding and rollerblading, you are best off either taking lessons first or practising in a very safe environment before heading to an indoor or outdoor park. As with cycling, you will need a helmet and knee and elbow pads. With these kinds of sports, you have to be prepared to fall over and not be afraid to make a fool of yourself in spectacular ways. In the same way with running, if you are heading to an outdoor place on your own, make sure someone knows where you are and that you have easy access to communicate with someone. You will need to find a way of storing your important possessions, such as your phone and your keys, which means they don’t get left unattended or risk being broken in your pockets while you are partaking in your sport. There are phone armbands that many people use for running that are a great way to keep your communication device close to you with less risk of it making contact with the ground on any falls.
Gym workouts
When joining a gym for the first time, it might be tempting to skip your induction session; however, this is vital for your safety, and any good gym will make this mandatory. With all different kinds of gym equipment available, you will need to learn how to safely use each one, not only for your benefit but to make sure that you are not impacting anyone else’s workouts. Safety is also linked to hygiene, and you will need to make sure you are cleaning down any equipment you use.
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