sports injuries

If you're sticking to your New Year's resolution to lose weight, make sure you do it the right way. You don't want to end up sidelined with injuries or waste your time on exercises that aren't giving you results! Here are a few ways to keep your shape-up plan safe and effective.

Start off slow: Enthusiasm goes a long way when you're trying to stick with your workout goals, but your desire to get fast results can lead to overworking or straining yourself. "Hitting it so hard and obsessively that your body can't cope with the added stressor [leads to] injury," says Tim Rich, a personal training manager at Crunch gyms. A better way to begin your workout plan is to start slow and gradually ramp up when you feel ready. Instead of an "all or nothing" attitude when it comes to starting a workout, read these tips for starting on a new workout plan slowly.

Get your form right: It isn't always safe to assume you know what you're doing when it comes to a new workout. Make figuring out proper form a priority at the beginning, before you start speeding up your reps. Try to work out in front of a mirror so you can be aware of what your body looks like, and make sure you know your basics (to get started, read our tips for performing five basic strength-training moves correctly here).

It's not about spot-training: Body-part-focused exercises are great for toning and building muscle, but don't think they're the only way to toned abs and shapely legs. While you'll definitely become stronger, a few sessions of butt-busting moves won't get you the body you want; when it comes to shaping your body, nothing beats a healthy diet plan with regular exercise. If you're ready to drop a pound a week, follow this plan to help get you there.

After reading the progress reports from the Get Fit For 2010 community group and contest, I noticed one big trend: injuries. They happen to the best of us; if you lead an active life, chances are high you will suffer some bumps, bruises, and strains along the way.

If you happen to sprain your ankle or strain your hamstring, immediate first aid can help you heal faster. No matter if you injured a joint or a muscle you should follow the R.I.C.E. protocol for 48 hours after your injury.

• Rest: Take a break for a day or two to let the injured area rest and recover. Your body needs time to heal the injury. Let pain be your guide as to what daily activities are fine. Once you can go about your usual daily routine without pain, slowly ease yourself back into training. Try the elliptical before going gangbusters on the treadmill.
• Ice: Apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables, wrapped in a towel) to the injured area for 15-20 minutes every few hours. Ice helps reduce swelling and inflammation by slowing blood flow to the injury; it also lessens the pain by numbing it a bit.
• Compression: Between ice treatments, wrap an elastic bandage around the affected part to apply pressure and reduce swelling. Compression can also help provide support to a weak joint. It should be fairly tight, but make sure it doesn't press nerves or cut off blood circulation — if the end of the limb turns blue, that's too tight! It's also too tight if you feel throbbing in the bandaged area. For the same reason, don't wear the bandage at night.
• Elevation: Let gravity do the work — try to keep the injured limb raised above the level of the heart to prevent fluids from pooling in the inflamed tissues. For an injured leg, prop it up above the hips when lying down. Injured arms can be held up in a sling.

If two days post-injury your pain has increased or the swelling has not subsided, it's best to see a doctor or a sports injury specialist. A medical professional can properly diagnose the injury and recommend the correct form of treatment and rehab to get you back in action sooner than later.

Over training happens. You love what you do. You do it too much. Your body starts to break down. Your bones begin to crack. An over use injury you definitely want to avoid is a stress fracture.

Common in professional sports that intensely work the lower body like running and basketball — hoops star Yao Ming has been suffering from one in his foot for two years now and marathoner Paula Radcliffe has battled one in her femur.

A fracture, aka broken bone, is caused by a sudden trauma like a fall. A stress fracture occurs when a bone can't hold up against repeated stress overtime. Cells known as osteoblasts make bones and attempt to keep the bone strong and rebuild them while under strain, while osteoclasts are cells that remove damaged bone tissue. The repeated stress weakens the bones, and ultimately the osteoclast cells win creating a microscopic fracture on the surface of the bone. This small crack can create lots of pain. X-rays usually cannot detect the fracture, but an MRI or bone scan if deemed necessary can diagnose a stress fracture. Often a stress fracture can be diagnosed based on your history, since over use injuries often run a specific course.

Learn how to avoid a stress fracture.