"The groundwork of all happiness is health." - Leigh Hunt

Stop making these common exercise mistakes.

Skipping the warm-up and lifting an excessive amount of can result in injury.

Photo: © Laflor/Getty Images

Exercising is the most effective things you’ll be able to do on your health, and also you deserve an enthusiastic pat on the back for all of the physical activity you're doing. But if you happen to're doing all your exercises the mistaken way, you may find yourself hurting, not helping your body.

One of the most important exercise mistakes is using the mistaken technique. You risk a back injury if you happen to arch your back when doing planks or push-ups, and a knee injury if you happen to bend too deeply in a lunge or squat (see “Move of the Month” ).

Another mistake is doing the mistaken exercise. For example, running when you might have severe back or knee arthritis puts quite a lot of stress on the joints.

But these are only a number of exercises. Consider the next, and see if it’s essential take steps to repair them.

Move of the Month: Squat

l1118d16207257801364Movement: From standing, lower your hips toward the ground as if sitting. Stand together with your hips above knee level. Keep your back straight, not arched. Return to starting position. Repeat 10 times.
Exercise photo by Michael Carroll

Skipping the warm-up

Fix it: Warm up your muscles before doing a number of minutes of repetitive motion, similar to marching in place or arm curls. It provides blood, heat and oxygen to the muscles and enables them to contract.

To be inconsistent

Infrequent or weekend exercise is less effective than more frequent activity, and cramming per week's value of exercise into one session increases the danger of injury.

Fix it: For most individuals, the weekly goal ought to be 150 minutes of moderate exercise (that gets your heart and lungs pumping) and strength training at the least twice per week. This can include short aerobic exercise (at the least 20 minutes) every day or long exercise (at the least 50 minutes) thrice per week.

Carrying an excessive amount of weight

Lifting an excessive amount of weight — especially lifting an excessive amount of too soon, if you happen to're just beginning to get back right into a routine — can result in muscle tears.

Fix it: Use lighter weights and lift them more often. “Instead of one set of five or 10 with a 5-pound weight, do two or three sets of 20 lifts using a 2-pound weight,” says Safran-Norton.

Not relaxing muscle groups

Working the identical muscle groups every single day can result in injury. Muscles need at the least 48 hours to recuperate and rebuild after vigorous exercise.

Fix it: Alternate which muscle groups you’re employed every day, similar to arms and shoulders on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but not on Mondays or Wednesdays.

Improper hydration

Fluids help cushion your joints and stabilize blood pressure and heart rate. Exercising causes you to lose water and electrolytes (sodium, potassium) if you sweat, and it also causes a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles (which may result in muscle soreness).

Fix it: Healthy people need six to eight cups of fluid per day, and more in the event that they're exercising. “Some people do well with water; others do well with sports drinks to replace electrolytes,” says Safran-Norton.

Poor currency

Exercising with loose posture and rounded shoulders puts you in danger for back and shoulder injuries (similar to rotator cuff tears).

Fix it: Keep your shoulders down and back, your back straight, and work with a physical therapist to correct poor posture.

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