It’s spring! time to get outside!

It’s spring which means it’s the perfect time to start playing outdoor sports! Many of us are excited for the nice weather nowadays. Many of us are picking up running, pickleball, tennis, golf, etc. this time of year. These activities are awesome, and great ways to stay active and healthy, but we also need to remember not to jump in full blast right away.

As PTs, we see people everyday that get hurt for the main reason of doing too much too soon. We all know this to some extent- if you jump right into an activity full speed that you haven’t done in 10 years, it is a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless, as the weather gets warm, it’s always tempting to jump in with both feet, even if you know you’re not quite ready.

So what do we do then? Well, it’s best to start out the season slow. Say, for example, you like running when it starts to get warm. You may start by running a mile or two at an easy, conversational pace to get started. From there, you maybe don’t run every day, but every other day and work up from there. Another great rule of thumb with running is the 10% rule, which essential says that when you’re increasing mileage, you shouldn’t increase your mileage more than 10% per week.

Maybe you’re a golfer. For golf, we need lots of hip mobility and strength. You might plan to start a few weeks to a month before the season with adding in more hip stretches and strengthening exercises to your routine so that your hips are ready for the task at hand when you get back into golf.

You probably get the point by now- prepare your body for the task at hand slow and steady. It’s easier said than done of course, but it can save you a lot of head ache later down the road by planning out how you get into the season of whatever sport or activity you like to do. So do your prep beforehand, then enjoy whatever sport or activity you like doing!

Cole Miller PT, DPT, CF-L2