Don't let your New Year's fitness goals lead to injuries
If you're worried about sticking to your goals, experts recommend getting a family member or friend who can keep you accountable.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A new year brings new goals. Many resolutions involve losing weight, gaining muscle or exercising more consistently.
While he supports staying active, Dr. Anthony Yu said it's important to make sure your fitness goals don't lead to injuries.
"You don't want to go zero to 60 in five seconds," said Dr. Yu, an orthopedic sports medicine specialist at Kaiser Permanente. "You want to ease into it."
If you haven't exercised in a few months, Dr. Yu doesn't recommend high-impact workouts every day -- take time to rest and recover.
"If you're walking as your exercise, you probably could stand to do that every day," he explained. "Low-impact exercise is going to be tolerated better."
During the beginning of the year, Dr. Yu has noticed patients coming in injured after trying out a new physical activity.
"You might want to take a lesson," he said. "We see a lot of injuries and people who have decided I'm going to try a brand new sport, and particularly if it's on the snow."
While Central California is experiencing colder temperatures, doctors said it's still important to hydrate when you exercise, as well as throughout the day.
"A lot of times when we see these muscle strains, those types of muscular injuries, it oftentimes is linked to somebody who hasn't had good water intake," said Dr. Yu.
If you're worried about sticking to your fitness goals, health experts recommend getting a family member or friend who can keep you accountable.
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