How Exercise Can Support You With Your Sport
It’s not quite winter yet, but your exercise and fitness reparation should be well under way for winter sports, with the
associated physical demands, as well as managing the inclement conditions.
Whether you are a competitive sports person, a weekend warrior, or an armchair athlete, you can benefit from a safe and
effective exercise programme that reflects the needs of your body, as well as the needs of your sport. Safe advice will
prevent injuries, make your time playing more enjoyable, and have the side effect of making you healthier.
Playing sports is not confined to athletic types, with the physical benefits being perhaps more important to a person
who has been inactive for a while. It makes no sense then that sports training advice is often ‘one size fits all’.
Regardless of your base exercise and fitness level, and whether you want to improve your game or make running across the
field less of a challenge, you deserve to get the best advice and results that reflect your personal sports goals.
If you are struggling to get the right advice and feeling that the training being offered is not the right fit for you,
then you may want to look beyond your sport and into support from an exercise professional.
At the top level a sportsperson will have access to coaches, sports experts and professionals to keep in the best
condition possible. However those at more social and non-competitive levels can face limited access to the resources
needed to stay in the game. For the average social player it’s a matter of taking matters into your own hands, and
that’s where getting the right advice helps.
The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has a strong focus on injury prevention in sports, and for good reason. In
the financial year ending July 2016, over $500 million dollars was paid out for sports injuries. ACC have a dedicated
website https://accsportsmart.co.nz offering advice around preventing injury. Their research shows that engaging in off
field fitness training reduces the risk of injury during training and playing.
Many sports teams and sports facilities are able to offer coaching and skills development, but unless you are lucky
enough to have an onsite trainer, it is worth looking at complementary physical activity and exercise outside your
sports team or club.
This is where a membership at your local gym or exercise facility, or working with a personal trainer or exercise
instructor fits in. A qualified trainer or instructor will understand injuries and sports needs and will be able to
design your exercise and fitness sessions to help achieve your sporting and fitness goals.
If an injury is preventing you from playing your chosen sport then working with a trainer may speed up your recovery and
prevent the injury from re-occurring.
It’s easy to find a registered exercise professional who is able to create an exercise solution for you and your sport.
In fact a number have a background in sports themselves, and have turned this love of movement into a career helping
others get active. For those of you already based at a gym or exercise facility, check out their trainers, as some may
have their sports training background promoted on their profiles. For those of you not based at an exercise facility,
you can access local trainers in your area through REPs database of registered trainers (www.reps.org.nz).
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