Exercise Safety Tips for Daily Workouts

Few people consider exercise safety when they first begin a workout routine; they are usually more focused on burning calories and dropping pounds – however, being safety conscious is important if you want to get the best benefit from your workouts.

There are two important categories of exercise safety to consider: injuries that can occur from the exercise itself, and external threats that can jeopardize your safety while exercising.  Below we’ll cover some of the most common threats from both categories, and provide tips for avoiding them.

Exercise Safety Tip #1 – Avoid overdoing it.

When you first start a workout, it’s important to work your way up to higher levels of intensity gradually.  Strained muscles, torn ligaments, and sprained ankles, shoulders, knees, wrists and backs are common injuries that result from trying to do too much, too soon.  Take it easy when you’re first starting out!

Exercise Safety Tip #2 – Be aware of your surroundings.

When you’re exercising outdoors, or even in your own home, it’s important to stay aware of your surroundings.  Whether you want to avoid getting hit by a car or banging your shin on the coffee table, awareness and prevention go a long way in keeping you safe and injury free. 

Exercise Safety Tip #3 – Use equipment properly.

Many exercise injuries occur because people use unsafe equipment, or they use proper equipment in unsafe ways.  Whether you are riding a bicycle, lifting weights, or doing step aerobics, make sure you use the equipment that was intended for that activity, and make sure you use it the way it was intended to be used.  For example, don’t use an empty milk crate as a “step” and don’t try to use a bicycle that was intended for street use as a mountain bike.

Exercise Safety Tip #4 – Wear proper shoes and clothing.

Different forms of exercise will require different types of clothing and shoes.  Do some research to find out which kind of shoes are best for running, walking, sports, and aerobics.  Find out which kinds of fabrics allow your skin to breathe and move moisture away from skin to keep you cool and dry during your workouts.  If you are exercising outdoors in dim light, also be sure to wear reflective clothing and shoes.

Exercise Safety Tip #5 – Stay hydrated.

Working out usually means sweating, which means fluid loss, which means dehydration unless you are drinking water before, during and after your workout.  Get a good water bottle and drink up before, during and after a workout.  A good rule of thumb is to drink 8-10 glasses (8 oz. each) of water each day, plus an extra glass or two if you sweat during a 30 minute workout.  You can safely drink more water than this, especially in high temperatures or dry climates.

Exercise safety is really common sense, when you think about it.  Avoid being reckless and careless, and try to think ahead to avoid the most likely dangers.  You can’t plan and prepare for everything, but you can certainly avoid some of the most common injuries sustained during exercise.