Fitness as Preventative Maintenance
Blog Topic: Fitness as Preventative Maintenance
Even if health and fitness are already a part of our lives and overall lifestyle, injuries can and will happen! It’s important not to allow those setbacks to derail us from our long-term goals. In most cases, it is possible to train around or modify our fitness routines to keep in shape and sometimes even aid in recovery after an injury.
Recently, on the latest Who, What, When, Where, and the Y podcast, I spoke with Tuscarawas County YMCA personal trainer Natalie Hoang and longtime YMCA member Rachel Smith. Rachel discussed with us how she has both dealt with and overcome past injuries and adopted a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent future injuries. Natalie discussed how a lifelong interest in health and personal fitness has helped her overcome and avoid injuries.
A healthy lifestyle is important for everyone, regardless of whether your current goal is running a 5K or half marathon, training to compete in a weight lifting competition, staying active to maintain your health, or taking up fitness as a career after being a high school or college athlete. Fitness is something that we all can and should make an integral part of our lives.
After learning about Rachel and Natalie’s fitness journeys, I was able to better understand just how hard they have each worked to get where they are now. Rachel has added a great deal of muscle, changed body composition and was able to bounce back after two hip surgeries to keep running and competing in events. Natalie has turned a lifetime of fitness into a calling to help others by passing on the knowledge she has gained as a personal trainer and online fitness instructor. While Natalie hasn’t suffered many personal injuries, she attributes that to her lifelong healthy lifestyle.
Fitness is not something we do just to look good. It’s also most importantly a way to keep going after injury, strengthen our immune system, help us build strong relationships and enrich our lives!
Staff Blogger Jason Eick