There’s no doubt that regular exercise is good for everyone, regardless of age. However, with physical activity, experts warn that there is a chance one can get hurt in the process.

Exercise injuries most of the time range from strains to back pain. Although it may not always be possible to avoid injury while exercising, learning how to stay safe during the entire process is important.

Depending on the type of the injury, Miguel Clement Mutali, a sports therapy and fitness instructor working at Kigali Marriott Hotel, says injuries can have both short and long-term consequences.

What you should know

Some of the things that are likely to lead to injuries include; exercising before the body has warmed up, repeating the same motion over and over again, and not having proper form for exercise, among others, Mutali says.

Also, not resting in-between workouts, pushing the body too hard or too quickly, doing an exercise that is too strenuous for one’s level of fitness, can lead to injury. 

Mutali says for beginners, it is ideal to always plan the workout. This, he says, may mean working with a professional for a few sessions.

Also, he says one should not try improper forms of exercises, such as lifting weights.

"It is clear that every exercise can benefit from a trained personnel’s assistance. With an expert, one learns how to take things slow, how to properly execute the moves, which prevents them from unexpected injuries that do occur without the help of a trainer,” he says.

Sandrine Twagiramariya, a fitness trainer and coach, says another important aspect to focus on to avoid unnecessary injuries is warming up before doing any exercise.

She says this is recommended because warm-up exercise normally helps get one’s blood flowing, warms up the muscles, and helps prevent injury.

"The easiest way to warm up is to exercise slowly for the first few minutes, then pick up the pace,” she says.

In addition to this, Twagiramariya says, it’s advisable that after the exercise, one should cool down to bring the heart rate and body temperature back to normal.

Nelson Mukasa, also a fitness coach, says being realistic about your abilities is important. Also, starting out slowly if you are getting into exercising, or if you’re starting a new programme, is important.

He adds that it’s also important for people to understand that a proper diet and eating at well-timed intervals around training, is just as important for your health and exercise performance.

He explains that this is so because eating a light, balanced meal or snack two hours before training will help fuel your performance, as will taking in protein rich foods—this is believed to be ideal as it is great for rebuilding muscle fibre that may have been put through the ringer during the workout.

Also, Mutali says choosing what type of exercises you are comfortable with is very important. It’s advisable to consult experts on what kind of exercises are good for you as an individual.

Also, he says, using safety equipment can greatly reduce one’s risk of injury. "If you are new to an exercise or sport, consider taking lessons to learn the basics. Learning the right way to do an exercise or sport can help prevent injury,” he says.

Mutali says listening to your body is also important, and that whenever you feel pain, put it on hold and inquire from experienced people the way forward.

This can also be applied when one gets tired all the time, which can be a sign that you are overdoing it. In general, it’s advisable to take a break to allow the body to rest.