Return to Sport with Longevity

The Longevity Exercise Physiology team members in Drummoyne,Edgecliff, Marrickville, Bella Vista, Randwick, and Lindfieldhave been enjoying going to the gym and playing sport again.

“Your Longevity Exercise Physiology Team are return to sport and exercise experts”

Over the last couple of weeks most of us in NSW have an experienced a return to our “normal leisure activities”. For many, this has included a return to both social, school and competition sport or training.

This has been very exciting and brought with it some great benefits for our community including:

• Increased Physical Activity
• Social Benefits
• Sense of Community
• Mental Health Benefits
• Improved Physical Fitness

On the other hand, due to the long period off from sport, there have also been experiences of:

• Increased muscle soreness
• Decreased fitness and endurance requiring more frequent rests
• Increased injuries
• Decreased confidence
• Impaired performance

Chances are you or your family member have experienced both the highs and lows of return to sport/physical activity.

But how can you maximise the positives and decrease the negatives?

Here is Longevity’s Return to Sport Checklist:

• Improve your Cardiorespiratory fitness
  • You’ll be able to keep going for longer and at a higher intensity (put in more effort)
  • Walking isn’t enough, you’ll need general cardio conditioning as well as sport specific training, e.g interval training for netball.
• Improve your Muscular Strength
  • Muscular strength is an essential part of skill and performance. It also contributes to improved stability as well as increased power.
• Warm-up and Cool Down
  • With timing restrictions in place and the excitement of competition, its easy to get complacent with the basics but a proper warm-up and cool down are essential for preventing injury, maximising performance, and good recovery.
  • COVID-19 tip – warm up away from the fields/courts and then walk over to join your team just before the game starts.
• Address those niggling injuries
  • Get onto chronic pain and injury now! Get them treated and then see your Exercise Physiologist for movement analysis and find out why they are occurring in the first place. From here you can work on improving the way your body moves and prevent recurrence and future injuries.
• Prevent new injuries from occurring
  • Ensure that you are physically fit enough for your sport. Injuries tend to occur under fatigue or due to repetitive loading of muscle/joint structures.
  • Get your Exercise Physiologist to help you determine the most important movement patterns and muscle groups for your sports needs and start there. Then, together, you can build a more holistic program and focus on more complex movements such as jumps and landings.
• Ensure you have appropriate footwear
  • Are your shoes old and worn out? Do you have enough ankle support? Do you require specific shoes for competition?
  • Good footwear is essential for comfort and performance and can help reduce the risk of repetitive strain and acute injuries to the foot and ankle.
• Fuel your body with nutritional food
  • Now that you are exercising more, particularly if it’s at a higher level, good nutrition is essential for optimal performance and recovery.
• Drink plenty of water
  • More exercise = increased hydration requirements
• Get involved
  • Help out at your local club. Many sports clubs have struggled this year due to lower participation numbers. Keep your club/team going by volunteering time and ensuring that all safety measures are met.
• Follow the COVID-19 Safety Measures
  • If everyone follows the guidelines we keep the community safe and everyone participating.
• Enjoy every minute!
  • Take it all in and enjoy it! It’s a great opportunity to exercise, socialise and generally just get out of the house again.

When you need that extra help and advice…….

Your Longevity Exercise Physiology Team are return to sport and exercise experts. As Exercise Physiologists, we are here to help ensure your bodies are physically fit and strong enough for your sport. We can also help you address injury concerns and ensure that you prevent future issues from occurring. Our team is also unique in that all of us are extremely well versed in sport, growing up playing sport and majority of us still competing currently. We use our exercise science knowledge, personal experience and competitive edge to get you amazing results.

We have knowledge and experience in: Athletics, Powerlifting, Gymnastics, Dance, Netball, Touch-football, Martial Arts, Running, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Rugby and Sports Aerobics.

Our Exercise Physiologists work as a team as well as with partners in the community. We are always happy to recommend, refer and relay information so that you get the best possible care.

Give us a call today to discuss your exercise options 1300 964 002.