Fitness Fitness Basics

Weekend Athletes - Gearing Up for Outdoor Sports

Summary & Participants

Make sure you are ready to get in the game before you head out to play.

Medically Reviewed On: August 11, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: If the weather is calling you outside to play, make sure you’re ready to get off the bench.

MARK KLION, MD, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: Let’s say baseball, softball, obviously, if you haven’t done that, you really need to start to warm up into an exercise program to get yourself prepared for that. So before the first game on Monday, maybe you should go out, throw the ball a few times.

ANNOUNCER: Then, on game day, take a few minutes to prepare

MARK KLION, MD, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: You know, warm up before any of the activities. Again, that could be five, ten minutes. But at least build up a light sweat so that that first pitch that gets thrown at you, you swing the bat really hard, the next thing you know you’re out for two weeks because your back gets strained.

ANNOUNCER: And don’t forget your feet, especially if you do any running.

MARK KLION, MD, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: New sneakers is a great thing to do. Sneakers do not have a permanent shelf life, and they do wear out, although you look at the bottom of the sneaker, and it looks like, “gee, the rubber looks fine.” That rubber never wears out. It’s the midsole of the sneaker that wears out and loses its cushioning over a period of time.

ANNOUNCER: But how often should you replace your sport shoes?

MARK KLION, MD, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: I would say that sneakers should be no more than six months old before you change them. I often date my sneakers so that I know when I bought my sneakers. Often, the first sign of injury I see in my population of runners is, they come in, they say, “my knee hurts.” And the first question I ask them is, “when did you change your sneakers last?”

ANNOUNCER: So, before you get in the game, make sure you’re not running the risk of missing the rest of the season.

MARK KLION, MD, SPORTS MEDICINE SPECIALIST: It’s a mental preparation initially, figuring out whether your equipment is up to date. Second, make sure that you want to get into something that’s an easy warm-up, maybe a week beforehand. And then certainly before any of the games start, you need to warm up gently before you actively begin the activity.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!