In order to ensure you are performing at your peak performance it's important to take care of your body. At Coastal Orthopedics we understand this can be challenging without guidance. The following tips will help you get the most out of your fitness and keep you healthy for the days to come.

1. Get Sleep

   Making sure you get plenty of sleep at night is essential in ensuring a healthy recovery from any physical activity or workout. Your muscles' only time to recover is while you sleep. Seven to eight hours of sleep each night is the recommended amount of time to ensure your body is properly recovered, and you get the best workout the next day. If you are finding it difficult to get enough sleep at night, take a 20- to 30-minute nap after your workout, this can aid in recovery.
   
   
   

2. Try Cardio Outside

   It is easy to get into a routine almost as easy as it is to get out of one. If you find yourself in the gym for every workout, we recommend exercising outside every so often. The possibilities are exciting; You can bike, sprint, or even rollerblade. Try the beach – attack the dunes! You will be amazed at the progress you make! Not only will you notice improvement, but the diversity will help in injury prevention.
   
   

3. Eat Right

   We are sure you know about this one – but we had to touch on it. A proper diet will give you power on the field, in the gym, or on the track. Make sure your diet has the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals. Hydration is just as crucial as your diet because your body loses a lot of water during workouts. You need to drink more than eight 8-ounce glasses of water required for adults. Athletes should drink more water than average since they lose even more water from intense exercise. For intense workouts, it's recommended that you should drink 16-20 ounces per pound of body weight lost during the workout.
   
   

4. Treat Your Injuries

   When your body starts giving you warning signs, it's important to listen. We know that this can be very frustrating, especially if you keep getting injuries. However, you need to back off until you get examined, and the injury is healed. Listening to your body is the best way to break the injury cycle.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
5. Respect the Rest day
   
   After getting in the habit of exercising or working out almost every day, it can be hard to break it up and take a day off; in fact, it may seem counter-intuitive. Taking a day off is important as it allows for your body to repair itself and build back stronger. If you continually refuse to rest, you are only losing performance but putting yourself at a higher risk for injury 
   
   
6. Pre and Post STRETCHING
   
   At Coastal Orthopedics, we recommend that athletes incorporate a stretch routine into workouts — even when you're not preparing for a big event. Stretching your muscles regularly (before and after a workout) has many benefits that can help protect your musculoskeletal system and keep you performing at your best.

If you have a sprain or strain, call Coastal Orthopedics. Located in Corpus Christi, our orthopedic specialists can examine you, assess your condition, and discuss which treatment is the right choice for you. We also offer knee conditioning, shoulder conditioning, and other programs that can help get you back into shape after injury.

Article written by: Rob Williams, MD