Attention weekend warriors, this one’s for you. Maybe you spend Monday through Friday at a desk, but when the weekend rolls around, you’re hiking, mountain biking, golfing, skiing, playing pickleball, or chasing your kids and grandkids around. If you’ve ever started a Saturday thinking, I’ve still got it, and ended Sunday saying, what happened? You’re not alone.
I’m Karen Rossman, athletic trainer with Tahoe Forest Sports Medicine, and today I want to share three simple strategies to help you reduce your risk of injury, so you can keep doing the activities you love. Not just this weekend, but for years to come. Here’s the thing, most weekend injuries don’t happen because we’re getting older. They happen because life gets in the way. Work gets busy, we sit more than we’d like, we take a break from exercise, then the weekend arrives and our brain remembers what we used to be able to do. But our bodies haven’t gotten the memo.
When strength, mobility, balance, and endurance haven’t kept up with the demands we’re placing on them, something has to compensate. And that’s when aches, pains, and injuries can happen. The good news, most of these injuries are preventable.
Here are three habits that can make a big difference. First, we want to move consistently. You don’t have to train like an athlete, but staying active throughout the week prepares your body for weekend adventures. Even 20-30 minutes of walking, strength training, or mobility work a few times each week helps keep your muscles, joints, and connective tissues ready for action. Small, consistent efforts beat trying to make up for lost time every weekend. Second, you want to warm up before you play.
Instead of jumping straight into your activity, spend 5-10 minutes getting your body ready. I like to use the ramp principle. Raise your heart rate, activate the muscles you’ll be using, mobilize the joints you’ll move through, and potentiate. Or gradually increase the intensity until you’re ready to perform. Think leg swings, lunges with rotation, bodyweight squats, arm circles, or other movements that mimic the activity you’re about to do. A good warm-up helps your body perform better and lowers your risk of injury.
Third, we want to build strength and balance. Strong muscles and good balance help protect your joints, improve performance, and make everyday movement easier. Exercises like squats, step-ups, bridges, rows, and single-leg balance drills build a solid foundation that carries over into almost every sport and outdoor activity. Recovery matters. Recovery is just as important as training. Stay hydrated, eat nutritious foods, get enough sleep, and listen to your body.
Some soreness after activity is normal, but if pain lingers, keeps coming back, or changes the way you move, don’t ignore it. Sometimes addressing a small weakness or mobility issue early can prevent a much bigger problem later. At Tahoe Forest Sports Medicine, our goal isn’t just to help you recover from injuries.
It’s to help you avoid them in the first place. Whether you love skiing, mountain biking, hiking, golfing, pickleball, or simply keeping up with your family, staying strong and moving well can help you continue enjoying those activities for decades to come. If you’re dealing with lingering pain or have questions about preventing injuries, we’re here to help.
I’m Karen Rossman, athletic trainer with Tahoe Forest Sports Medicine. Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you out on the trails, on the course, or wherever your next adventure takes you. Have a great weekend!
