Outdoor Recreation Are You Ready?

Through 25+ years of working as a physical therapist, parenting two female high schoolathletes, and competing personally on a collegiate level in golf and football, I have repeatedly been faced with the question of when is an athlete truly ready to perform. To be successful, safe and to ENJOY your outdoor recreation, I recommend following these few tips!

Know Your Sport:

Each outdoor activity poses unique challenges and stresses on the human body, mind and spirit. Most require a mix of mental focus, cardiovascular fitness (aerobic and / or anaerobic), strength, flexibility, agility, balance, proper technique and alignment. Many also require safe and updated equipment for optimal performance. When in doubt-get help and ask the experts at your gym, climbing club, recreational supply store or physical therapist office.

Know Your Self:

The best competitors know their athletic strengths and weaknesses. The body has a tremendous adaptive potential to stress and most of us can participate in the sports we love, but we need to be ready! Many injuries or accidents occur when an athlete’s fitness level doesn’t fit with a given activity.

Plan Your Preparation:

Just as you pack for a trip, the body needs to get ready to undergo outdoor recreation. Mixing flexibility and strengthening exercises with a good progressive dose of endurance work is usually a winning formula! But don’t forget to think about the technical aspects of alignment, providing good nutrition and hydration to the body, and getting your gear tuned up. Efficiency makes any machine run longer and safer without breakdown!

HAVE FUN!

Jeffrey D. Houser DPT, Therapeutic Associates Ballard Physical Therapy