Avoid 5 fitness faux pas

By Jacqueline Stenson, contributor

No one wants to get hurt while playing sports or working out, of course. But too often we’re our own worst enemy, doing just the things that put us at risk — or not doing the things that protect us.

Consider a new Consumer Reports survey showing that nearly 60 percent of people never wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. That’s risky business, the magazine says, pointing to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showing that 92 percent of bicyclists killed in 2007 reportedly were not wearing a helmet. It also noted that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury by an estimated 85 percent.

In fact, most sports and fitness injuries can be avoided with the right knowledge and a healthy dose of common sense, experts say. Click on the arrows above to learn more about common risks and ways to keep yourself in the game.

Not sporting the right gear

In addition to cycling, helmets are an important safety measure for inline skating, skiing and contact sports such as football, says Dr. Matthew Matava, co-chief of sports medicine at Washington University in St. Louis and spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

What other gear do you need? That depends on the activity. “You want to get the right equipment for the right sport,” says Matava.

Aside from the proper safety gear, which might include equipment such as face masks, chest protectors and shin guards, it’s also important to get the right shoes to avoid leg problems. For example, Matava says he sees kids who’ve been running cross-country in basketball shoes and end up with knee trouble because their sneakers weren’t up for the job.

Overdoing it

“Many (sports and fitness injuries) are preventable by avoiding the ‘too's’ — too much, too soon, or too hard,” says Dr. William Roberts, a professor of family medicine at the University of Minnesota and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “The body needs to be gradually worked into fitness, and starting with too much work can lead to injury.”

This is particularly true for overweight couch potatoes. If you fall into this category, especially if you have a history of heart problems, see a doctor for a checkup before embarking on a new fitness regimen. Then start slowly — making sure to warm up with some light exercise first — and build up your exercise routine gradually over time.

Experienced exercisers should pace themselves, too, says Roberts. “People can exercise daily but not with high volume and intensity,” he says. “Alternate hard and easy days and take one day off a week if involved in high-level training.”

Working too hard day in and day out without proper rest — which can happen, for example, when people decide to train for a marathon and go too far too fast — can lead to the most common form of sports and fitness injuries known as “overuse” injuries. These include such problems as tendonitis, stress fractures, bursitis and nerve entrapment.

Ignoring instruction

You wouldn’t start out on a long trip without a map or at least a GPS system, or attempt to operate a food processor without reading the instructions, right? But too often people take up a new sport or attempt to use a new piece of fitness equipment without the proper know-how.

Experts say it’s well worth the money to sign up for a few sessions with a golf or tennis instructor, for instance, or a personal trainer at the gym to learn how to do an activity correctly and safely. Many gyms offer a few free sessions with a trainer when a new member signs up. And trainers should be readily available on the gym floor to help out members who are unsure how a particular piece of equipment works.

So if you don’t know something, ask! It could spare you aches and pains later.

Not varying your routine

Just as pushing yourself too hard can lead to injury, so can engaging in the same exercise over and over without varying your routine. Doing so puts you at risk for both overuse injuries and muscle imbalances.

So rather than always hitting the treadmill, for example, it’s better to mix things up. You can still do the treadmill two or three days a week, but you’ll want to engage in other activities such as swimming, weight training or using another cardio machine on other days to work additional muscle groups and challenge the body in different ways, says Matava.

“Cross-training is very helpful,” he says. Plus, it’s not as boring!
Overexposing yourself ...

… to Mother Nature. Earlier this month when the Illinois House voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich for alleged abuse of power, he was photographed jogging in the snowy Chicago weather and committing a big fitness faux pas: not wearing gloves and a hat.

Joggers and others who exercise outdoors in the winter should be sure to cover up their extremities to keep the body warm and protect against frostbite, experts say. Exercisers also should dress in layers of clothing, ideally with a first layer made of material that wicks away sweat, keeping moisture off of the skin (moisture-wicking material is commonly available in brand-name fitness clothes).

Also take precautions when it’s hot and sunny, including wearing light-colored clothing, replacing fluids lost through sweat and avoiding peak sun. Be on the alert for signs of possible heat exhaustion, including nausea, dizziness, fatigue and headache. A heatstroke can lead to loss of consciousness and even death.

And don’t forget your sunscreen. The Consumer Reports survey, which polled 1,000 Americans about risky behaviors and is published in the February issue of the magazine, also found that 27 percent of people never wear sunscreen when in the sun for extended periods. That can lead to really feeling the burn after exercise — and putting you at risk for skin cancer, too.