Are you afraid of hurting yourself exercising?
Even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson can get hurt working out
1copyright 2021, Phil Witte
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Do you think you might hurt yourself exercising? It can happen, even for guys in great shape like Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, or guys in okay shape like me. The Rock wounded himself using chain weights at his gym. Several years ago I gave myself a hernia exercising on one of the machines at my gym. It was painful! I had to have surgery but after it healed I went back to the gym. I learned the hard way to pay attention to signals my body was giving me.
If you’ve sprained your ankle or injured your shoulder you probably don’t want to repeat the experience. Even if you haven’t hurt yourself but you’re out-of-shape you might be afraid that you’d injure yourself or just suffer aches and pains from exercise. Fear of hurting yourself while exercising isn’t just an excuse or a sign of weakness. It can be a realistic concern but it doesn’t have to keep you from starting an exercise routine. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
· Forget “no pain, no gain.” Listen to your body. If it starts to hurt stop what you’re doing. You can get fit without pain.
· If you’ve been inactive for a while it’s best to avoid high-impact activities like running or contact sports like basketball or soccer. Instead, try walking, swimming, or riding a stationary bike.
· When you’re ready to try something more challenging consider getting a trainer if you’re going to the gym. Talk to an instructor if you’re learning a new sport. It doesn’t have to be a long-term commitment but a few sessions teaching proper form will reduce the risk of hurting yourself. If I’d had a trainer I might have avoided the self-inflicted hernia.
· Drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercising.
· Don’t push yourself too hard, be patient. Persistence pays off. If you keep at it you’ll be able to challenge yourself more.
I’m happy to report that I’ve had a few sessions with a trainer and, like the gentleman in the cartoon, I’m skipping the herniator.
Hold This Thought: Don’t let the fear of injuring yourself keep you from starting a sensible, go slow exercise program.
Excellent advice! And yes, it can happen to the best of us, when you least expect it. Proper attention to form is important, and avoid distractions. My feeling is that you don't always have to increase the weight or the number of reps, especially when you've reached "a certain age." At some point "maintenance" is the key rather than continuing to try to "bulk up."
Yes, I'm afraid of hurting myself while exercising. And have done so. And have hurt myself even doing modest non-exercise things like putting my pants on. Right now I'm trying to get "whole body" physical therapy for this reason. But my physician just rolled her eyes and asked which body part I wanted a referral for. So I'm starting with the hips. Sigh.