FEELING GREAT: ‘Mixing it up’ will help reduce risk of repetitive strain injury

"Even swimming - the one activity you might think is really good for you (which it is) - is still going to cause physical problems with your shoulders and neck from its repetitive nature."

I hope that you took note of my experience in last week’s column when I wrote about a repetitive injury I picked up when running around the streets night after night in search of a running high.

This time, welcome to the solution and answer to ensure you don’t suffer similar.

It can happen to any of you who do the same exercise time and time again. Even swimming - the one activity you might think is really good for you (which it is) - is still going to cause physical problems with your shoulders and neck from the repetitive nature of arms swinging forward with your neck constantly being held out of the water if you did it every day. Do you want to know the solution? The real root cause of own my own health issues was not from me biking or running.

Instead, it was due to my insistence on not planning my day properly to find the time to vary my exercise.

At times, maybe we’re all guilty of thinking we don’t have the time to do things properly and it’s only human to try and find a shortcut to do something quicker – even if it’s our health at stake!

But isn’t it true that when pain strikes, all of a sudden it’s pretty easy to re-work your day to find time to do the one thing you should have been doing in the first place? If you’re guilty, you you’re not alone.

So, with that story firmly at the front of your mind, here’s what I want you to take away from this column: one of the best bits of advice I could ever give to you if you are considering taking part in any type of increased exercise programme (or activity) is to constantly vary your activity.

Now you’ve got yoga, Pilates, walking, jogging, and you can add some swimming in there too. Mix any of these and you’ll dramatically lower the chance of repetitive strain type injuries from happening to you.

A timely, important note: Anyone taking part in any form of increased exercise should always check with their GP.

But more and more studies are pointing towards swimming as being as safe as walking and bike-riding when it comes to looking at a way to improve your cardiovascular health.

For more tips and advice, please get in touch for a free copy of my book The Healthy Habit.

Please call 01429 866771 or visit paulgoughphysio.com.