The 2014 Sochi Olympics games are in full swing, with Cana­di­an ath­letes pur­su­ing vic­to­ry.  The Olympics were cre­at­ed to pro­mote peace­ful com­pe­ti­tion amongst nations through sport while bring­ing peo­ple from dif­fer­ent nations togeth­er to share in the cel­e­bra­tion.  As Cana­di­ans across the coun­try take in the Olympics, many of them too enjoy the thrill, excite­ment and joy that sport can bring.  How­ev­er, as much fun as it may be, sport can be dan­ger­ous.  So, in cel­e­bra­tion of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, here are some ways you can enjoy your favourite sport while keep­ing safe. It is also a time to think of Sports Safe­ty. Wear the right gear Mak­ing sure you have the right equip­ment and gear on is key to pre­vent­ing sports injuries.  This includes every­thing from hel­mets to elbow and knee pads.  Even sim­ple gear like wrist and ankle braces can make the slight­est dif­fer­ence.  Remem­ber that each sport requires dif­fer­ent gear to be worn and it’s impor­tant to adhere to those guide­lines to pre­vent injuries. Warm up and stretch first Before tak­ing part in any sport activ­i­ty, even if it is going out for a quick run, remem­ber to stretch and warm up first. Stretch­ing allows for your mus­cles to warm up, gets your heart going and the blood flow­ing and helps to pre­vent injuries and sprains from occur­ring.  Start by cre­at­ing a warm up rou­tine, 10–15 min­utes longs, that stretch­es your mus­cles and gets the  blood flow­ing. Drink lots of water Drink­ing lots of water dur­ing phys­i­cal activ­i­ty helps pre­vent dehy­dra­tion from occur­ring.  Keep­ing hydrat­ed fuels your body and keeps you going.  You can also keep hydrat­ed through juice or sports drinks but water is your best bet. Tend to your injuries If you expe­ri­ence an injury dur­ing any phys­i­cal activ­i­ty, attend to it imme­di­ate­ly. Delay­ing treat­ment can cause the injury to wors­en over time.  Allow for injuries to heal com­plete­ly before tak­ing part in any stren­u­ous phys­i­cal activ­i­ty.  Use ice packs to relieve swelling and use sup­port bands for extra sup­port.  Avoid putting any pres­sure on the injured area and make sure to get a lot of rest.  It’s also a good thing to get injuries exam­ined by a doc­tor to get a full diag­no­sis. Learn the skills first Before get­ting into any phys­i­cal activ­i­ty, it’s impor­tant to learn the skills first.  When play­ing any sport, there are cer­tain skills that must be learned and mas­tered before that sport can be car­ried out.  If not, you put your­self at a greater risk of get­ting a sports injury.  Just like learn­ing how to walk, swim or dri­ve a car, it’s impor­tant to know the skills first in order to attain suc­cess. Get some R&R – Rest and relax­ation Tak­ing part in sports or any phys­i­cal activ­i­ty is good for your health and can make you feel ener­gized.  How­ev­er, when par­tak­ing in any phys­i­cal activ­i­ty, it’s always good to remem­ber to get some rest and relax.  Tak­ing the time out to get some rest and relax­ation gives your body the time to recov­er from the stren­u­ous phys­i­cal activ­i­ty.  You don’t want to put a lot of strain on the body caus­ing sig­nif­i­cant strain on your mus­cles and putting you at a high­er risk for injuries.  The time off will also give you a chance to bet­ter your game and tend to any injuries. From all of us here, wish­ing the Cana­di­an ath­letes the best of luck.

Share us On:-
Allan Baum
Security Industry veteran with over 30+ years in the industry. Founded family owned and operated Protection Plus in 1994 with his wife and has overseen its growth since. In addition to working with his wife and son, Allan has assigned the role of Chief Canine Officer to his trusted dog Waub, who joins him at the office every day.