Stay active safely this spring

WE ALL TAKE BREAKS during the winter. From the start of Thanksgiving right through to Valentine’s Day, the world seems filled with temptations and long, cold, lazy nights. Still, something starts around this time of year that gets us stirring. I think it is in our DNA. With spring around the corner, we want to get moving. And I can safely say that as an urgent care physician, this time is ripe for injury.

Where anticipation meets reality At this time of year, we all look at our basement or garage and think, “It’s almost time.” Stored there are our garden tools, pickleball rackets, golf clubs, bikes, and other tools for outdoor fun. Even though we may not be able to do these activities yet, anticipation leads to excitement. And at that moment, we begin to realize how long the winter has truly been. Our excitement meets the hard reality of our fitness.

Not to worry. It happens to all of us. However, this is also the riskiest time of the year. We are at our most injury-prone when we are excited.

The reality of injury

According to the CDC (https:// www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr099. pdf), nearly 9 million people injure themselves during sports or recreational activities. Fifty percent of these injuries require medical attention. Men are twice as likely as women to injure themselves.

Some of these injuries are unavoidable. The more active we are, the greater the risk of having an accident. This risk should never prevent us from wanting to be more active. However, if we are not regularly active year-round, then a certain amount of caution is warranted.

First and foremost, if you have been inactive for a significant amount of time, especially if it has been due to an illness or medical condition, consult fully with your physician and develop a plan to return to regular activity.

Exercise is good. Period. It helps us feel better in general, has numerous health benefits, and, above all, has significant mental health benefits. I cannot recommend it enough. The problem for all of us is “staying” in the exercise mindset. It is easy to get discouraged and “stay” sedentary.

So, after time in the emergency room and urgent care clinic, here are my “stays” for returning to exercise:

• Stay slow: Don’t worry about your buddies or family members. Start back to activity slowly and stay slow as long as you need. Your body will tell you naturally how and when to increase. Remember, this is a long process. Exercising in a slow, deliberate way has great benefits.

• Stay hydrated and fed: Water and good healthy food go hand in hand with exercise.

Make sure to drink plenty of fluids and choose healthy postactivity snacks.

• Stay positive: This is, perhaps, the most difficult of the “stays.”

When returning to exercise it is easy to remember a headier and, let’s face it, more fit time in our lives. Don’t let those memories discourage you. Play your game in the present, not in the past.

• Stay with it: It is easy to get started with activity. It is hard to maintain that activity. Some basic rules are to stick with a specific schedule, mix up your activities to prevent getting bored, and, if you can, find some buddies. Having people around you cheering you on will go a long way toward getting back fully to whatever activity you want to do.

Above all, stay in contact with your physician. Don’t neglect injuries. If you injure yourself, your physician can help reduce the severity and time it takes to recover, which gets you back in the swing of things.

Winter is almost gone. With a few simple precautions, it is easy and healthy to start up and stay with exercise.

Dr. Steven Bills is the owner of TeleMeMD (www.mytelehealthmd. com), an on-demand urgent-care service. Dr. Bills was born, raised, and educated in Toledo, attending St. John’s Jesuit High School and the University of Toledo and graduating in 1993 from the Medical College of Ohio. Dr. Bills completed Emergency Medicine Residency training at the joint St. Vincent/Mercy Medical Center and Toledo Hospital program. Since 1996, Dr. Bills has worked in the Northwest Ohio area in nearby Emergency Departments and as a flight physician on local area medical transport helicopters. ✲