8 major mistakes beginners make
Physiotherapist and Rehabilitation Doctor Dr. Betül Toygar, pointing out that especially those who are new to sports should be very careful about some things, said: “Unconscious sports can bring harm instead of benefit. For example, it can cause a wide variety of problems, from muscle cramps to sprains, from meniscus tears to ligament tears, from broken bones to herniated discs and neck. The main point that people who want to start playing sports to avoid injuries should pay attention to in the first place is to pass the health check and make sure they are fit for sports.
Ignore the health check!
Before starting any exercise program or sports activity that you will continue on a regular basis, it is extremely important that you go through a health check and make sure that your body is fit for sports. Physiotherapist and rehabilitation doctor Dr Betül Toygar said: “Especially people who have had heart and blood pressure problems, severe obesity and spinal and joint problems should not start exercising without a doctor’s approval. Otherwise, a sudden increase in blood pressure, a heart attack, spinal problems, or sports-related muscle and joint disorders may occur.
Determine the exercise program yourself!
If you have no previous sports experience or if you have been sedentary for a long time, make the selection and planning of the exercise program with a sports instructor. A ‘tailor-made’ training program that is tailored to your physique and exercise capacity prevents overloading your body and thus prevents sports injuries or heart problems.
Skip the warm-up exercises!
Before starting any sports activity or exercise program, it is very important to do warm-up exercises for at least 15 minutes to prepare the muscles and tendons for sports. The risk of developing problems such as muscle and tendon injuries, sprains and bruises in the joints increases after exercise without a warm-up.
Ambition in the exercises!
Exaggerating the number and frequency of exercises and increasing the difficulty in order to get a fit body in a short time or to lose weight can cause disabilities. “It is not good to do more than three workouts per week in the beginning for at least three months,” warns Dr. Betül Toygar continues: “The number of exercises can be gradually increased; four to five days a week. However, it is not good to exercise every day. We need to give our muscles in our body time to recover after exercise, to relieve their fatigue and to be ready for training again. That is why there must be rest days in between. It is ideal to do the exercises every other day and no longer than four days a week.
Don’t take time to yawn!
Do not forget to do stretching movements immediately after completing the exercises. By slowly cooling your elevated body temperature with stretching movements, your heart rate and breathing rate will gradually decrease and your blood pressure will return to normal. To do this, spend 10 minutes stretching at the end of each exercise.
More than a week away!
Taking a break from exercise programs for more than a week resets our path. So if for some reason you can’t train three times in a row, you definitely won’t be able to pick up where you left off. It will be healthier to start reducing the number of repetitions and weights of the exercises a few weeks ago.
Use the same shoes for every sport!
Trying to do every sport with the same sneakers can cause serious problems such as sprains, falls, muscle cramps and tendon injuries. Therefore, make sure that you use clothes and shoes that are suitable for the sport you choose for your physical health. For example, different types of shoes are used for tennis, jogging and indoor sports. Dr. Betül Toygar draws attention to the fact that you should definitely choose the shoes suitable for the sports you practice by asking the specialist, and she says: “Wearing sports shoes during the exercises you do at home is very important to distribute the load evenly on your knee and ankle, maintain balance and prevent slipping.”
Sample exercises available on the web!
If you have no previous sports experience, avoid the exercises you see on the internet. Because it takes knowledge and experience to be able to move at the right angle, to properly adjust the breathing and to create the desired effect on the muscle. Physiotherapist and Rehabilitation Doctor Dr Betül Toygar said: “If you cannot adjust your angle and posture correctly when you try to practice the movements you see on the screen, waist and neck hernias are triggered and injuries can occur in the knee, shoulder or hip joints. For this reason, when exercising at home, you should be very careful, except for the exercises recommended by the physiotherapist and shown by the physiotherapists, and if you feel pain while doing any movement, you should stop immediately.