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Are you Physically Prepared for your Sport?

Are you Physically Prepared for your Sport?

Whether you are a sports competitor, 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.

Receiving safe advice that suits you and your sport will prevent injuries, make your time playing more enjoyable, and have the beneficial side effect of making you healthier.

Whether you want to improve your game, make running across the field less of a challenge, or are planning a return to sport after a break, you deserve to get the best advice and results that reflect your personal sports goals. If you are struggling to get the right advice, then you want to look beyond your sport, and into the support of an exercise professional.

At the top level, a sportsperson will have access to coaches, and professionals to keep in the best condition possible. However those at the 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 case of taking matters into your own hands, and that’s where getting the right advice helps.

The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) in NZ has a strong focus on injury prevention in sports, and for good reason. In the financial year ending July 2014, over $428 million dollars was paid out for sports injuries. They recommend a ten point strategy for preventing injuries which includes making sure you warm up and cool down around your games and practises, and engaging in physical conditioning to improve all aspects of fitness for greater enjoyment and better performance. Their research shows that engaging in off field fitness and exercise training reduces the risk of injury during training and playing.

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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 your local REPs Registered Exercise Facility (gym, studio, health and fitness centre etc), or working with a personal trainer or exercise instructor fits in. A qualified trainer or instructor who is registered with the NZ Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) will understand injuries and sports needs, and will be able to design your exercise sessions to help achieve your sporting and fitness goals.

It’s easy to find a REPs Registered Exercise Professional who is able to create an exercise solution for you and your sport. In fact many 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 an exercise facility, check out the trainers, as they will have their sports training background on their profiles. For those of you not using an exercise facility, you can access your local trainers through the REPs database of registered trainers and exercise professionals (www.reps.org.nz).

If an injury is preventing you from playing your chosen sport, then some rehabilitation work with a trainer may speed up your recovery and prevent the injury from re-occurring.

NZ schools and organisations have a curriculum focus on getting and keeping our kids active, any many of their initiatives have increased participation levels. However activity stats show that on leaving school ,those of us not destined to be top level athletes often cease participating in sport at all as study, work and family commitments limit the time for individual pursuits.

If you were a keen sportsperson in your younger years, but feel like you aren’t fit enough to go back, then your best place to start is a chat with your nearest REPs Registered Exercise Professional, as they will be able to set realistic and managable goals with you, and get you fitter and more confident to rediscover the sporty you of the past.


For help with finding an exercise facility, or personal trainer in your area, just go to www.reps.org.nz .

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