Looking to be more active and healthy? Looking to play a sport?
Getting involved with an organized sport is an excellent step to take
for your health. You don’t have to be the best, the most experienced,
or a pro athlete to gain from the immense health benefits of sport.
Competition can be fun and healthy. Organized sport will get you up and
moving and off of the couch watching television for a night. Have you
ever said: “I’d like to really try that!” or “that sport has always
interested me.”? Then stop thinking about it and take action!
BARRIERS TO ACTIVITY
It’s no secret that physical activity is an important part of a
healthy lifestyle. I have much respect and admiration for those of you
who incorporate this into your everyday routines. You are making an
investment into yourself and your future. I have come across many
reasons why people are discouraged from joining an organized sport or
activity. Excuses range from: I don’t have the time; I’m not very
good; I don’t know anyone; It’s too expensive; I’m too old to start
playing sports again, and the list goes on. While you may be
discouraged for some of these reasons, you need to keep a lot of things
in mind. These excuses are really just that, and do not usually hold
any grounds in the bigger picture of things.
Organized sport often take place only for a few hours per week. You
can certainly afford that much time, and it is an investment into your
health and wellness. If being active regularly means you live 5-10
years longer, then how much is your time worth?
Many organized sports also have a range of skill sets for you to draw
from. Usually there are total beginners who need to learn everything
from the beginning, to intermediate players who know the basics and are
working on retuning their skills, to advanced players. Often the sport
will accommodate you to what ever level you feel comfortable. The more
skilled players can help you to improve your game, and make sure that
you understand the sport.
If a particular activity interests you, then go for it. Sport is a
very social atmosphere that will introduce you to others who have the
same interests as you. The shyness that you perceive as a block to your
activity will be short-lived and give you a great and healthy social
outlet that you will enjoy returning to again and again.
For the most part, if you have a heart-beat, you can be active.
There is no such thing as too young or too old. Everyone can benefit
from some form of physical activity.
There are many different inexpensive ways to enjoy sport and
activity. Even getting a group of friends together to go for walks is a
great idea. You can explore new and different areas of your
neighbourhood or city that you might not have had the chance to do
before. All while you are reaping the benefits of physical activity.
Focus on what your health goals are and work towards them. Try not
to focus on minute details. Rather than focusing on what’s deterring
you from the sport or activity, try and focus on what made you want to
get involved in the first place. The bottom line is to stay motivated.
You CAN do it!
THE BENEFITS OF ACTIVITY
Client’s with an active lifestyle make up a great proportion of the
sorts of people that I see everyday. Many of them are active through a
variety of different means, of either regular walking, jogging/running,
yoga, weight lifting, and/or sport.
Being physically active can help you maintain a healthy weight,
reduce blood pressure, build strong bone, and muscles, relieve stress,
prevent pain and injury, and maintain flexibility and good posture.
Recreational sport is an excellent way to enjoy physical activity. It
doesn’t matter whether you pick up a hockey stick, soccer ball, golf
club, racquet, paddle, or running shoes. The important thing is that
you get moving!
Canada’s Olympic Athletes have long benefited from chiropractic care
to help them avoid injury and get the most out of their favourite
sport.
TIPS FOR HEALTHY, SAFE, AND INJURY-FREE SPORT
Take a look at this simple guide for recreational athletes. This is
some good information to follow whenever you are looking at
participating in any activity:
- WARM UP: Before swinging a racquet, running a
race, and slapping a hockey stick, you should warm up for a good 20
minutes – no less. Warm up exercises generally include deep breathing,
gentle stretching, and range of motion exercises, as well as a brisk
walk or easy job to warm up muscles and joints.
- LEARN THE PROPER TECHNIQUE: Learn the right
technique for your sport from the beginning. Using wrong-sport specific
technique can create faulty muscle memory and can form bad habits that
are difficult to break. If your body is not positioned correctly during
a sporting activity, then it is more prone to injury and pain.
- USE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT: Make sure that the
equipment you use if the right fit, height, and capacity. People who
are new to a particular sport should have their equipment professionally
fitted and checked before starting out.
- AVOID OVER-TRAINING: Take your time to work up to
it slowly before pushing yourself too hard. Remember – rest is as
important as training. Take a break and give your body a chance to
recover. Too much, too fast, too soon is a recipe for injury.
- COOL DOWN: This is just as important as warming
up. Take a good 20 minutes to do a light jog, and stretch out your
muscles and joints before heading to the change-room or car
Chiropractors are trained in aspects of sport injury treatment and
prevention, as well as sports performance. The above tips are excellent
things to incorporate into any sport. The longer you stay pain and
injury-free, the longer you will be able to enjoy the recreational
activities you love.
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