Weekend Warrior Syndrome
As the weather improves and the days get warmer, are you
finding yourself doing as much as you can on your days off? Then on
Monday morning you find yourself unable to move because you hurt too bad?
You are a “weekend warrior”.
Exercising, gardening, swimming, or any strenuous activity
that you only do once a week is probably going to lead to unnecessary injuries,
major soreness and/or pain. It can be avoided with a few easy steps.
Prepare ahead of time. You usually know what
you are going to do next weekend. Take time (at least 10-15 min) to use
the muscle groups that you are going to use. Hiking? Walk during the
week. Gardening? Practice squats. Plan ahead to avoid injury.
Start slowly. Warm up your muscles for at least
5 minutes before doing intense activity. Stretch with arm circles, arm
swings, leg swings, lunges, etc… to get things going, and get your blood
pumping.
Add Gradually. Increase activity with a steady
pace and building up as you go. Don’t try to run 5 miles full out,
especially if you didn’t warm up or don’t run regularly.
Take breaks. Give yourself a chance to rest
while drinking a big glass of water. Muscles like water and oxygen.
Give them both to keep them from having spasms and causing you pain.
When you are finished, take time to cool down for at least 5
minutes. Stretch the muscles you used for at least 20 seconds each.
Do not take pain medicine before you work out. It
masks the pain, and you need to be able to listen to your body. Try
non-medical solutions like hot packs, cold packs, massage, and rest.
Have a great weekend!
