Feeling uncomfortable and want to exercise? What to do before and after exercise? Don't make mistakes with the 7 common sports equipment in parks

Everyone knows the benefits of exercise, the problem is “no time”! Fortunately, there are sports equipment in parks nowadays. Let’s establish correct and effective exercise concepts to make our bodies healthier!

1. Basic concepts of exercise: roles, diet and basic concepts of safe exercise

Exercise is a very broad discipline in medicine. Before exercising, you need to understand your role in exercise, diet, and pre-exercise preparation to ensure that the goal and effect of the exercise are consistent with your expectations:

1. Role and objectives of the movement

When exercising, you can simply divide it into the following three categories according to "exercise role" and "target level". People who just want to "move around in the park" are usually beginners who do not exercise regularly. In the initial stage, it is easier for them to set the goal of "slightly improving current physical functions" and move towards the goal of becoming "regular exercisers."

(Table 1) Levels of roles and goals of sports

(Table 1) Levels of roles and goals of sports

2. Diet for exercise

In addition, many people exercise to have a good figure, but ignore the importance of "diet" and the results are not satisfactory. In fact, exercise goals need to be combined with diet to achieve good results.

(Table 2) Dietary Combinations for Exercise

(Table 2) Dietary Combinations for Exercise

*For patients with kidney disease, please discuss appropriate protein intake with your physician.

3. Basic concepts of safe exercise

All sports should be properly dressed and require warming up before and cushioning after exercise.

1. Wear comfortable and light clothing

Sportswear should be lightweight, easy to move around in, and sweat-absorbent. Sports shoes are required. If floor exercises are required, they should be performed on a yoga mat to reduce impact.

2. Warm up before exercise

All sports require warm-up. You need to warm up for at least 15 minutes before officially passing the test. You can do this by brisk walking, jogging, etc., and start exercising only after your body is slightly sweating.

3. Post-exercise cushioning

After exercise, you need to stretch and tighten your muscles for at least 10 minutes, and stay in each movement for 10 to 30 seconds to do simple stretching and tightening.

2. Introduction to common sports equipment

1. Big Wheel

The "big wheel" can train the shoulders and upper limbs and increase the range of motion of the shoulder joint. Please do not use it when you have frozen shoulder or acute shoulder pain, and avoid excessive stretching and pulling to cause shoulder injuries.

Big Wheel (Photo provided by Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

2. Back massager

The "waist and back massager" uses body movement to apply pressure on the tight parts of the waist and back on the roller to relax the muscles and stretch the fascia. The more painful it is, the more effective it is!

Back massager (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

(III) Walking machine

The "walking machine" can stretch the hip and leg muscles. People with poor balance should not use it. If you have had hip surgery recently, please discuss with your doctor before using it.

Walking machine (Photo provided by Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

4. Sit-and-Pedal Trainer

The "sit-and-push trainer" uses your own body weight to train the lower limb muscles. When using it, please avoid holding your breath to avoid "straining" and causing dizziness.

Sit-on trainer (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

(V) Flywheel

The "flywheel" allows the elderly to easily move their lower limbs. Please avoid sudden acceleration when using it, as it will cause excessive stress on the knee joints.

Flywheel (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

(6) Waist Twister

The "waist twister" stretches the waist and back muscles and is a favorite of many elders. Twisting the waist and rotating the body can make the body more flexible.

Waist Rotator (Photo provided by Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

7. Horizontal bar/pull-ups

Use body weight to strengthen the hand and back muscles. It is not suitable for patients with shoulder, upper limb, elbow and hand diseases. Especially for people with frozen shoulder, pulling on the horizontal bar will be very painful and may even cause muscle strain.

Horizontal bar/pull-ups (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

3. Improper exercise can easily cause injury

In addition to "effective exercise", people should pay more attention to "avoiding injuries". The following is an explanation of the injuries caused by common fitness equipment.

1. Shoulder joint and ligament injuries

The shoulder joint is designed as a "mobile" joint, not a "weight-bearing" joint. Whether it is a "horizontal bar" or a "shoulder wheel", they are all equipment for upper arm training. Improper use can easily cause excessive load on the shoulder joint, tearing, or even dislocation.

Take the "horizontal bar" for example. Without training, even an adult man hanging his body weight may be overloaded. If he swings forcefully, it can easily cause injury to the soft tissues of the shoulder (ligaments, muscles, bursae). If the joints become inflamed and the patient moves less due to pain, it may cause frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder).

2. Acute strain of waist muscles

"Waist twisters", "walking machines" and "sit-and-push trainers" are mainly used for lower limb activity training. If people use them too quickly, too frequently and for too long, it is easy to cause acute strain of the waist. If the body is tilted due to poor posture, the chance of strain is even higher.

If you feel sore at this time and use the "back massager" to apply pressure to the swollen muscles, it will cause more serious inflammation. Please do not use it when your muscles have obvious symptoms of inflammation (redness, swelling, heat, pain)!

4. It is better to move than not to move. Correct movement is the best way.

1. Activities, activities. To live, you must move.

Some people think that they have "degenerative arthritis" and should not exercise. In fact, if they do not exercise, the lack of muscle strength will hurt the joints more. Muscle strength will decrease with age. Starting at the age of 50, it will decrease by 1.5-5% each year, and decrease to 30-50% of the youth. When "muscles atrophy", "every step" will produce shear force and cause joint damage. This is the most common cause of knee joint injury, but the most easily overlooked cause.

2. The starting goal of exercise does not need to be high

The most difficult part of exercising is to "keep it going". "Walking to the park to exercise" is a highly accessible, convenient and cost-effective method. As long as people use it correctly, they can avoid getting injured and achieve the health goal of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week (roughly equivalent to 5 days a week, 30 minutes of walking a day, and about 3,000 to 4,000 steps at a time)!

(Photo courtesy of Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association)

Everyone thinks that sports like basketball and tennis are prone to injuries, but few people know that these seemingly harmless fitness equipment are invisible killers. I have even seen people buy straps and hang upside down on the horizontal bar. If they fall, they may suffer a head injury at the very least, or a cervical fracture at the worst! We would like to remind everyone that there are many cases of incorrect use of fitness equipment in parks, and many people have to visit the rehabilitation department due to injuries. While working out and keeping fit, you should avoid using fitness equipment inappropriately, otherwise you will suffer the consequences before enjoying the benefits, and the result will not be worth it.

This article was provided by Taiwan Rehabilitation Medicine Association

Author of this article: Dr. Xu Jialin of Huifu Rehabilitation Clinic