Don't let an injury get in the way of your 2016 fitness goals

With the start of the New Year, a common resolution is to get active. If you want your fitness regime to continue through the year, you need to stay injury free. Here are some steps you can take to decrease your risk of injury.

1.     Warm up before starting your workout. This can be done with some light cardio and/or dynamic stretching.  Examples: walking on the treadmill, jumping jacks, slow jog, arm and hip swings.

2.     Stretch after your workout.  Leave a good 10-15 minutes after your workout to stretch all the muscles that you have worked out. This will help speed up recovery, prepare you for your next workout, prevent injury and best of all it just feels good.

3.     Eat foods that help promote recovery and that are anti-inflammatory. Watermelon has been shown to lower muscle soreness while ginger and pineapple have significant anti-inflammatory properties.

4.     See a Chiropractor for a comprehensive assessment prior to starting your workout regime. By looking at your gait, assessing your movement patterns and evaluating your posture, a chiropractic doctor can make appropriate recommendations for you to prevent injuries. For example, many knee injuries can be avoided by wearing custom fit orthotics. If you sit at a desk all day, you may want to avoid heavy chest work to avoid shoulder injuries.