The Fourth of July is right around the corner and the mass majority of the US. population takes time off to spend with families and friends.  

With this time off comes games and activities we may not have time to partake in on a regular basis. However the mass majority may not realize that if they lead a sedentary lifestyle during the week, picking up the tennis racket or making plans to take on your neighbors in a pickup basketball game or backyard volleyball game could lead to some minor to serious injuries.

When taking on these activities you have the potential of injuring yourself without first preparing yourself in advance. Taking the time to prepare your body for these types of activities with regular exercise, which should include a warm up, total body movements and cool down with stretching, can help you prevent some common injuries such as groin pulls and ankle sprains, which occur during weekend or holiday activities.   

Research has shown that we are a truly more sedentary society. That equates to more injury for those who choose to get off their seats on weekends for a mountain bike ride, pick up soccer game, 36 holes at their local golf course or even a friendly game of backyard volleyball. Exercising on a regular basis can help you prepare for your “weekend warrior” moments, while saving you from painful injury.

Let’s go into what you can do to help prevent these common injuries while improving your weekend warrior status.

First is the sprained ankle. This is a common injury found in your local emergency room on the weekends and holidays. Most often it occurs when you ask your body to move in a lateral or side to side fast movement pushing your ankle past your ligament stability. A great way to build your ankle strength can be done while you are sitting at your desk—lift your toe, with your heel planted on the ground, up and down for several repetitions do this several times a day to help you prepare for your weekend soccer game.  

Second most common is the groin pull. A groin pull is often caused by lateral or side to side quick movements. These types of quick lateral movements are typically used on the basketball court, volleyball court and the tennis court. A groin pull can be prevented when you prepare with proper dynamic. A dynamic warm-up is great because it warms up the muscles and ligaments as well as increases your flexibility when not on the court.  

So take a minimum of five minutes before you pick up your soccer ball, basketball, volleyball or tennis racket to warm up your muscles. Here is an example of a brief warm up:
-Always use dynamic movements to warm up your body
Start with a march up to a jog, stop your jog; next move your hand to shoulder height and lift your leg to your hand to stretch your hamstring, stand tall and rotate your ankles inward then outward, rotate your spine keeping your hands out at shoulder height rotate from side to side lifting your heal from side to side.
Also you can take time to focus on specific moves you will be using in your coming game. A few additional warm-up moves are front, side and rear kicks mixed with range of motion movements such as side to side squats and front lunges. This will get the muscles ready for the court.

If you become extremely fatigued while playing, step aside and don’t allow your fatigue to push you past your limits and lead to injury. Instead of sitting down right after your game, take time to stretch out your muscles and bring down your heart rate with a five to 10 minute cool down. The cool down should include stretches that go from dynamic (moving) stretches until your heart rate is lowered to static (holding stretches).  

Finally, one thing that can help you with your weekend warrior jaunts the most, is a regular consistent exercise routine. Your goal should be more than building big muscles, but functional muscles, so you should focus on your flexibility, core and functional strength, to help you prevent these and other common injuries.

Remember to enjoy your Fourth of July, be safe and take the time to prepare for your holiday fun.