Every year millions of people make New Year’s resolution to lose weight, start working out, and change their lives for the better.
Are you putting forth the effort?
It’s hard to get started and stick with it when you have chronic injuries that are not fully resolved.
Fix any injury while they feel uncomfortable so that you can feel continually motivated to participate in any type of activities and hit your fitness goals this year.
If you are worried that working out may cause more injury or want to get rid of any nagging discomforts before you get started on your road to fitness, we can help.
First, here are 5 workout mistakes to avoid.
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Stay hydrated.
Drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps to decrease the risk of muscle cramps or injures. Don’t just wait until your workout to drink water.
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Dynamic stretches.
This type of stretching are movement-based types of stretching vs the usually holding in a static position. It warms up the muscles and can increase your range of motion so that you can feel more effective with your workout.
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Good positioning.
Good posture during workouts is key to ensure that you don’t injury your shoulder or back. Looking forward verse up or down can automatically help with your positioning.
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Don’t over grip.
Having an overly hard grip increases your chance of developing hand, wrist, or elbow pain long after you are done with your workout. Ease your grip by squaring off your shoulders to get more stability.
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Correct breathing.
I know you know how to breathe, but funny enough, sometimes when doing a new workout or trying to prevent injury – you might hold your breath. Breathing uses a lot of muscles to keep your core strong and has a direct effect on how your arms move and are positioned.
Use these tips to help you avoid injury and make steady progress with your New Year goals.
If you already have some nagging issues, do yourself a favor and get a screening by a movement expert FIRST – before diving into your workouts and New Year goals.
You might be tempted to wait and see – but it will just delay you further and further.
You might think – “oh I need to see the doctor first.” And unless you fell and broke a bone or did something serious, they will typically do an X-ray or recommend pills first. They won’t always know how to assess how you have the pain with your activities.
Here’s where we come in!
As a specialty practice like Hands-On Therapy Services, we will be able to assess how you move and perform various tests to see what actually is wrong. Once we know how your pain or discomfort is triggered by your movement patterns, we can teach you what you can do to get rid of it and control it as you work towards your New Year’s goals.
This is especially true with wrist and elbow pain.

Written by Hoang Tran
About the author – Hoang Tran
Hoang Tran is a Miami occupational therapist, the owner of Hands-on Therapy Services and author of the book “The Hands-On Approach”. She loves helping people with hand, neck and shoulder problems, because she knows how bad and debilitating they can get if not addressed and treated properly (once and for all!).
If you want to ensure that wrist or elbow pain does not get in the way of your New Year’s goal, and you would like to see if it makes sense for one of our excellent hand therapists in the Miami are to assess you, request a Free Discovery Visit.
There’s no obligation to book a session. Our Discovery Visit is to help you make a decision if we are the right fit to help you with your New Year goals.
It’s not right for everyone, but once you fill out the form – someone from our team will contact you, ask some questions, and let you know if we can help.
Don’t get stuck before getting started!
If you would like more information about the services give us a call at 786-615-9879, or visit handsots.com or schedule an appointment here. In these difficult times, we are here to help. Telehealth and online sessions are available!
The material contained on this site is for informational purposes only and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PROVIDING OF MEDICAL ADVICE, and is not intended to be a substitute for independent professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.