injury

Knowing When to Take a Day Off of Insanity Workout

Insanity Workout is an extreme system. It requires a lot of hard work and determination to do these workouts and be successful in your fitness goals. When you are using a system like this you’ll find yourself being pushed to get through each workout with gusto, pushing past your tired muscles and little aches to reach the end triumphantly. But there are times it may be wise to skip an Insanity Workout session.

Now before you get excited, I’m not suggesting you take a day off because you are in a bad mood or you didn’t get enough sleep. We come up with all sorts of excuses to skip a workout and this is why so many diets and weight loss attempts fail. But even when you are 100% committed to a program, there are times that a day off makes sense.

Aches and sore muscles are completely normal with a program like this. You will be stiff some mornings as you probably haven’t worked out like this in a long time, if ever. But there is a fine line between soreness and injury. If you are injured and experiencing pain, you need to rest your muscles.

An injury can happen in a variety of ways, from hitting your knee on a hard coffee table to twisting your ankle on a run. If your injury feels aggravated when you workout, you need to take time to heal and rest. While discomfort is okay, pain is not. Working out while you are in extreme pain isn’t only difficult and painful, it can worsen your injury leading to complications down the road.

When you are on your way to achieving lofty fitness goals, it can really be hard to take a day off for an injury, but it might be necessary. Treatment for things like sprains and strains involve rest. Without rest, the body doesn’t have time to heal. Take a day off to rest, ice, compress, and elevate (RICE) the injury so that you don’t have to miss a whole week of workouts later on.

This isn’t permission to take a day off whenever you’re sore. Because with Insanity Workout, you will be sore. But you do need to listen to your body and take care of any injuries. This may include taking a day off or even making a visit to the doctor. Just remember to pick back up where you left

 

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Can I Still Do Insanity Workouts When Injured?

Now that’s commitment! If you have recently been hurt and you are online wondering if it’s still okay to get an Insanity Workout in, you are truly dedicated and should be commended. Also, you are cautious. And when it comes to fitness and injuries, being cautious can save you medical bills, recovery time, and it can definitely save you some pain. Knowing when to take it easy and when to forge ahead is tricky and you were right to ask!

Your ability to continue on with your workouts is directly dependant on the severity of your injury. Obviously if you were injured bad enough to go to the doctor, you must ask for medical clearance to do your workouts. Insanity Workouts aren’t like other home fitness routines and aren’t a walk in the park (figuratively or literally). These high impact and very strenuous workouts have the potential to make any injury worse if you are not careful. Therefore, if you are experiencing pain you probably should take some time off to recover.

There is a major difference between discomfort and pain. Insanity Workouts lead to discomfort whether you are injured or not! These are seriously trying workouts and you will experience soreness, muscle twinges, and muscle exhaustion while doing them. But, if you feel actual pain, you may want to take it easy, slow down, and try to “walk it off”. If the pain doesn’t stop or if it gets worse, stop your workouts immediately.

If there is any doubt about the extent of your injury—see a doctor. Working out with a serious injury can cause permanent damage and is not an indication of your toughness!

 

It’s difficult to be conservative when you are hurt and want to get back to your workouts. But, it’s crucial. Some broken bones don’t hurt as much as sprained ankles, for instance, and you may not even realize just how seriously you are hurt. If you have to take a few days or even a few weeks off of Insanity Workout, it will be tough—we know. But, you will be far better off than if you worked out, exacerbated the injury, and ended up having to sit on the bench for months or even permanently.

Chances are, if you have to ask if it’s okay to work out—you should wait.

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Coming back from an injury when to start working out again

Whether you sprained an ankle or broke a toe, injuring yourself to the point that you can’t workout is extremely frustrating—not to mention potentially painful. When a doctor tells you to “take it easy” for several weeks and even months, it can sideline any fitness goals you may have been working on. When you can’t workout, it’s easy to slip back into lazy ways, forgetting that what you eat will also affect your health and fitness. Being banned from exercise is a death sentence for some, leading to stress and serious stir-craziness. But, when do you know it’s okay to start working out again and how do you go about it?

After an injury you should never go back to working out without discussing it with your physician. If you go against a doctors recommendations you could hinder the natural healing process and actually make the injury worse.

 

Once you have talked to your doctor about your desire to get back in the fitness saddle, you need to choose a workout program. It’s not a bad idea to talk to your doctor about this as well. For obvious reasons, you don’t want to jump into the P90X Plyometrics DVD immediately after breaking a foot but maybe your foot can handle the Yoga X DVD or the less cardio-intensive ChaLEAN Extreme program. Think about where the injury is and lean towards workouts that will take it easy on this area of the body.

As you begin working out again, you will notice tightness. After not working out for an extended period, your injury will be stiff and the rest of your body will be out of training condition as well. You are essentially starting over with your body and actually starting from an even less than beginning stage with the injured body part.

Learning to recognize the different between discomfort and actual pain is crucial when coming back from an injury. If it hurts intensely—STOP.

 

Baby your injury after working out as well. If you are slightly sore or if you experience any swelling, apply ice for about 15 minutes and elevate the ankle or injured part in question. You will need to take more days off than before and really listen to your body.

Coming back from an injury is a slow process and one that should only be taken with extreme patience. While it’s not as frustrating as being sequestered to the sidelines, it can be tough to slow yourself down when you’re given the clear to workout. Just remember to take it easy and talk with your doctor about any concerns.

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Muscle Cramps: Causes and Prevention

j0424376Muscle cramps are part of being human. Chances are you have experienced them at some point. Whether you got a “charlie horse” in the middle of the night or felt the onset of a cramp while working out in the heat, they aren’t fun and definitely remind you you’re not invincible. The key to preventing muscle cramps is understanding how they happen.

 

Not all cramps are the same. They can occur throughout the body from your fingers to your toes and even your internal organs. Of course the muscle cramps we talk about here are those that occur in your muscles. They are most common in your arms and legs, as well as your back. Muscle cramps like these are characterized by a tightening or over excitement of the muscle which leads to pain and even temporary immobility.

 

Muscle cramps are commonly caused by dehydration. Fluid loss through perspiration when working out or working outside can lead to this dehydration. This is one of several reasons it is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day. They can be a precursor to heat stroke and serve as a warning sign to you that you need to hydrate and cool off.

 

Muscle cramps can also come from muscle fatigue or injury. Sometimes if you work your muscles too hard, they will cramp up. Similarly, occasionally cramps will occur as your muscles try to compensate or protect an injury, like a broken bone. This is commonly seen when muscles in the back spasm due to inflammation around a ruptured or bulging disc.

 

Vitamin deficiencies and some prescription medications can also lead to muscle cramps. Taking a good multivitamin and being aware of the side effects of your prescriptions can ward off these types of cramps.

 

For additional types of muscle cramps and several more causes, check out this great detailed article from the MedicineNet.com. Some of the best prevention for muscle cramps comes from hydration and muscle conditioning. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down before your workouts, and always make stretching a part of your fitness routines. Here’s some additional reading on how much water is enough and some good stretching information from the Mayo Clinic.

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What Causes Muscle Spasms?

j0409781Muscle spasms are involuntary contractions of a muscle. These can happen anywhere in the body although spasms in the back are more common. They can be uncomfortable or accompanied by debilitating pain. The reasons for the spasms differ as much as the symptoms do. When looking at what causes muscles spasms, many possibilities exist.

 

What causes muscle spasms can be as simple as a quick turn, catching your muscles off guard. Similar to a cramp, muscle spasms involve a quick tightening of the muscle, often when you least expect it. These fast spasms can send a jolt of pain through your body, making you wince and grimace.

 

Muscle spasms can also be caused by an injury. When inflammation surrounds an injury within the body, it can often trigger muscle spasms. These often last longer than the fast appearing cramps as discussed above and can create tightness and swelling for several days. What causes muscle spasms like this is the swelling around an injury.

 

Another explanation for what causes muscle spasms is neurological possibilities. Things like strokes and metabolic disorders can affect the way muscle respond to signals from the brain, involuntarily contracting muscles at random times.

 

Regardless of what causes muscle spasms, they can be quite painful. If you experience muscle spasms that last longer than a day or so and involve severe pain, you should visit your physician. Sometimes a serious condition like a ruptured spinal disc can create spasms. In cases like this, muscle spasms are a warning sign of something more serious.

 

Simple muscle spasms arising from cramps or quick movements can often be massaged away. Try taking down any inflammation with a ice and resting the affected area.

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What is “Overtraining” and How Do I Avoid It?

Overtraining, mostly found in weight trainers, runners, and serious athletes can lead to injury and physical exhaustion. When training, whether for an athletic event or for weight loss, people sometimes get over anxious and quit listening to their body. Being aware of what causes overtraining can help you avoid it and minimize time spent on the sidelines. Listening to your body and being aware of its limits will reduce the chance of overtraining. The truth is: the body only makes improvements during rest times. Yes, seriously. The benefits of all of that heavy lifting and those situps happen once you stop. When you are training, tiny tears occur in the muscles. During periods of rest the body repairs these tears, similar to patching drywall or welding metal. These reinforced areas become stronger than they were pre-trauma and this is where the benefits of training come in.
 
When you fail to give your body time to heal, you not only fail to make progress, you actually start to do damage. Weight training without recovery periods is like punching holes in the wall without taking the time to patch them up. Good fitness routines account for this by having rest days or periods of cross training.
 
Another key in being able to recognize overtraining before it happens is listening to your body. When you don’t pay attention to how your body feels, you increase the chances of injury and other symptoms of overtraining. A twinge of ankle pain may turn into a sidelining injury if precautions are not taken when the pain first starts. Adjusting your workouts to cater to any overly sore muscles or joints will protect you from injury associated with overtraining.
 
Keep in mind this doesn’t mean you have to take a whole day off of exercising every other day. It just means that you don’t want to work the same muscle groups everyday consistently or you may push them too hard. This is why many routines will have you do shoulder and back one day followed by legs the next. If you did shoulders and back three days in a row you would be missing out on the recovery period and pushing those muscles to the point of potential injury.
 
Keeping the science of muscle gain in mind can help prevent overtraining. In order to make progress, your muscles must repair themselves. Without repair comes further damage and possible injury. Overtraining can have you completely out of the exercise game for a long period if not cautious. By learning to alternate workouts and listening to your body, you can prevent overtraining and get the maximum benefit from your fitness routine.
 

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