Weekend Warrior

On average at age thirty, forty, or fifty, the body is nowhere near what it was during the teenage years or early twenties. More than likely someone you know, if not yourself included, may be a weekend warrior. A weekend warrior is a man or woman who works a complete work week without any true exercise and then engages in some type of sport or activity that is physically strenuous to his or her body. It is hard for many to accommodate an exercise routine that will work around their job and home schedule since most have families and other obligations. It is almost redundant to state that most corporate industrial workers are not professional athletes but it is crucial that these individuals realize this. That being said, though it is beneficial to participate in sport and exercise during the weekends, if the body is not properly conditioned during the week, pain soreness and injury are inevitable. Exercising at least several times during the work week will allow the body to be in better shape and have a greater ability to perform up to the activity's physical standards.

The top seven most common injuries affecting the weekend warrior, as told by revolutionhealth.com are sprained ankles, shin splints, rotator cuff injury, tennis elbow, knee pain, golf elbow, and lower back pain. Many of these injuries are related to improper technique and overuse rather than a single specific mechanism. As much as it may hurt one's psyche to hear, getting older is essentially the termed reason these injuries occur. Physiologically the body gets older and that is out of one's control but to add insult to injury the body not being taken care of how it should be such as having a poor diet, stress, inadequate sleep, and inactivity during the week. Age and overuse issues aside, a well conditioned body can offset the timing and severity of these injuries. Heat and ice are also ways to combat prolonged injury, soreness, and pain by decreasing inflammation and catalyzing the healing process. Using heat is normally associated with more of an older, chronic causation of injury, whereas cold should be used for immediate injuries and inflammation up to 72 hours post injury. An individual should be well informed on when to use each. Whether an individual has been injured and wants to get back to their "normal" capabilities or an individual would just like to improve or maintain an already sound physical state; stretches and specific exercises per joint can be viewed on our website using this link - rehabworks.ksc.nasa.gov/education/protocols/.

The body is quite similar to a machine in the sense that depending on how well it is maintained will determine how well it performs, especially when excess stressors are placed on it. Three essential components of physical fitness and prevention of injury are cardiovascular endurance, strength and stretching. Several ways to keep up one's cardiovascular fitness is to ride a bike, walk, jog, swim or any other type of activity that will sustain an elevated heart rate. As the body is able to adapt to the activity, the duration and intensity can slowly be increased. Strength can be gained through resistance and stabilization exercises. Though many individuals believe it is a necessity to be a member of a fitness center in order to workout, this is not the case. A multitude of simple exercises can be done at one's own home. Jumping rope, the use of thera-bands for the upper and lower body, and using a thera-ball for core strengthening are great examples of cheap items that can be purchased and very easily used at the leisure and convenience of one's own home. Once the individual has begun to adapt to the strength exercises, slowly the sets and reps can be increased. The combination of both a cardio and strength workout during the week prefaced and concluded with stretching exercises will be the prescription for a positive lifestyle change for the weekend warrior. This remedy will increase performance ability such as being able to run longer and minimizing fatigue. It will also decrease the risk of injury as far as bony issues and preventing muscle strains and ligament sprains. Lastly, it will aid in reducing other health complications such as hypertension and diabetes. Once the body has experienced and adapted to the appropriate conditioning, the body will be on its way down the coveted path of injury prevention. Here's to you, our weekend warrior.