Caring for Your Health and Safety
1. Warm up before you practice to prevent injuries. Warming up helps prime your muscles and improve your circulation, helping to prevent injury and reduce strain on your muscles and heart. Before you practice gymnastics or perform a routine, spend at least 5 minutes warming up with some light exercise and stretching.
For example, you might start with a few minutes of jump-rope, light jogging, and dynamic stretches (such as kicks, arm swings, and trunk twists).
2. Practice on padded floors at all times. Practicing over a hard floor increases your risk of injuring yourself, especially if you fall. Whether you’re practicing in the gym or at home, make sure the floor is well-padded.
If you’re practicing on equipment, make sure the mats underneath you are properly secured.
3. Work with an experienced coach to make sure your technique is correct. Using poor technique can increase your risk of developing injuries, such as stress fractures, strains and sprains, and back pain. To keep yourself safe while you practice and perform, always work with a coach or instructor who can guide you and make sure that you are doing each move correctly.
Don’t attempt to do advanced moves or stunts without the guidance of a coach.
4. Follow gym safety rules carefully. Most gyms have rules in place to protect you and your fellow gym-goers. Before you start practicing gymnastics, take time to familiarize yourself with your gym’s safety regulations. Common safety rules include:
Limiting the use of equipment to one person at a time
Not wearing jewelry or other items that might get snagged on the equipment
Practicing good jumping technique when using foam pits (e.g., jumping only onto your feet, back, or bottom, and never diving headfirst or landing on your knees)
Always training with a partner or coach
5. Use appropriate safety gear. Depending on the type of gymnastics you are doing, you may need to wear protective gear to prevent injuries to your hands, feet, and joints. Talk to your coach or instructor about what kinds of gear you should wear.
For example, you may need to wear grips or sports tape on your hands while doing exercises on the rings or bars.
For some gymnastics stunts, such as vaults, it’s important to wear reinforced shoes to prevent damage to your toes when you land.
When you’re learning difficult new moves where you could potentially fall, you may need to wear a spotting belt (a belt that hooks up to cables attached to the ceiling).
6. Eat nutritious meals and stay hydrated. Getting appropriate nutrition is important for building and maintaining the strength you need as a gymnast.Work closely with your coach or a registered dietitian to develop a diet plan that is right for you. Ideally, your diet should include a good balance of:
Lean proteins to help build and repair muscle
Complex carbohydrates to provide energy
Fruits and vegetables, which provide fiber and essential vitamins and minerals
Healthy fats (like those found in fish, nuts, and plant oils)
Plenty of water, as well as electrolyte-rich sports drinks during extended training sessions
Warning: Because of the strict physical demands of the sport, serious gymnasts are at risk of developing eating disorders. If you’re concerned about your eating habits, talk to your doctor of a dietitian.
7. Get plenty of good-quality sleep. You need sleep to maintain a good energy level, be at your healthiest, and help your body heal. As a gymnast, getting enough sleep is also important for helping you avoid fatigue and injuries. Make sure to make time in your schedule so you can get the recommended amount of sleep for your age.
Kids ages 6-12 need 9-12 hours of sleep per night.
If you’re a teen (aged 13-18), aim for 8-10 hours of sleep each night.
Adults should get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
8. Stop training and see a doctor right away if you think you’re injured. Trying to push through training with an injury will only make the damage worse and ultimately slow you down. If you get injured or feel pain while doing gymnastics, stop what you’re doing right away. See a doctor and work with your coach or trainer to treat the injury and prevent further damage.
If you get injured, ask your doctor to refer you to a physical therapist with experience working with gymnasts.
This last part is complete. Thank you for watching and reading the 3 parts.🙌🏻
Artemus Vazhui