Your workouts are going great, you are losing weight, you're feeling stronger, and then all of a sudden you get injured. A twisted ankle, sore back or pulled muscle sidelines you. What happens next? Often, your weight loss will slow or stop and you risk losing your motivation.

Staying injury-free can be as simple as following a few easy guidelines.  Use these tips to stay healthy and injury free:

Take time to warm up. Don't jump right into your workout at full speed. Slowly ease into it with a five- to 10-minute warm-up session, gradually increasing your speed and intensity.

Don't skip stretching. Spend about 10 minutes stretching after your workout. The type of stretching you should do depends on your workout. For example, if you're running on the treadmill, be sure to do some leg stretches. If you're playing tennis, you'll need to stretch both your arms and legs. And if you're strength training, stretch whatever areas you worked out. 

Perfect your form. Knowing how to use the equipment or how to properly do moves can help you avoid injury. If you are doing a particular exercise and it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.  Stop and ask someone for help.  There are a million ways to work each muscle group so don't feel you have to do one particular exercise. 

Pace Yourself. If you try to do too much too quickly, you're bound to hurt yourself. Increase your exercise, intensity and/or duration, gradually.   Spread out your activity throughout the entire week. Trying to squeeze your workouts into one or two days can definitely result in injury.

Tune into your body. Make sure to pay attention to how you're feeling during a workout. Often times, our body gives us signs that it has had enough. Remember that overexertion can lead to injury.

Good posture helps to relieve the strain on your back.  You know you have good posture when you can draw a straight line through your ears, shoulders and hips.  When you are out of alignment, your body generally tells you through pain signals.  If you don't listen to these signals, wear and tear will take place on your spine.  Normal wear is part of the aging process, but good posture and proper body mechanics can delay the process and allow you to enjoy many years with a healthy back.

Our daily activities include some if not all of the following:  sitting, bending, lifting, sleeping, driving, standing and reaching.  Any of these done improperly can contribute to back pain.  Follow the guidelines below to help prevent hurting your back:

Sitting:  Choose a good, firm chair which allows the small of your back to fit against the back of the chair.  If necessary, you can use a lumbar roll or rolled towel to provide added support.  Sit with your feet resting comfortably on the floor and knees bent.

Lifting:  Stand close to the object and face it with your feet shoulder width apart.  Bend your knees, keeping your back straight and as upright as possible by minimizing any bending at the waist.   Draw abdominal muscles toward your spine before lifting.  Slowly, lift with your legs.  Hold object close to your body and avoid any twisting during lifting.

Standing:  Check your posture by standing against a wall.  With the back of your head against the wall, bend your knees slightly so that your back touches the wall.  Maintain that position when standing.  Keep your weight evenly distributed, shifting feet every twenty minutes or so.

Sleeping:  Your mattress should be firm but not rock hard with minimal sag under your body weight.  The best sleeping positions are either on your back with extra pillows under your knees to keep your hips and knees bent or lying on your side with one or both knees bent and a pillow between your knees.

Exercise can play a critical role in preventing back pain.  Try these exercises to help maintain proper posture and stronger back muscles:

Bridge:  Lie on your back with your feet shoulder width apart and flat on the floor with your knees bent.  Slowly roll your hips up so that your hips, knees and shoulders are in a straight line.  Hold for 5 to10 seconds.  Return to start and repeat 10 to 15 times. 

Superman:  Lie on the floor on your stomach with your arms extended forward and your legs flat behind you.  Lift one arm while simultaneously lifting the opposite leg.  Hold for 10 to 60 seconds.  Return to start and repeat on the other side.  To make it harder lift both arms and legs at the same time and hold for 10 to 60 seconds.

It's easy to grab Lunchables at the grocery store - but do you have any idea how unhealthy they are? Design your own healthy "Lunchable" at home, skip the cost and overly processed foods.

What's in a store bought Lunchable?
• Lean Ham (processed with water added)
• Kraft Cheddar Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product (not real cheese)
• Ritz Crackers (contain partially hydrogenated oils)

What Does a Healthy Lunch Contain?

Fruit. This might be an apple, grapes, or cherries from the local farmers' market. Kiwi's are fun for kids, just cut it in half and let them scoop out the middle.
Veggies. Baby carrots, grape tomatoes, and colorful peppers are a great choice. Cut up veggies and pack with low-fat Ranch Dressing or Hummus. Remember "Ants on a Log" from your childhood? A piece of celery filled with natural peanut butter/almond butter or low-fat cream cheese with raisins on top.
Whole Grains. A sandwich can make a great lunch. If you're child does not like sandwiches, try rice cakes or Lavash roll-ups sliced in bite size pieces with turkey, tuna or chicken salad. A favorite is natural peanut butter/almond butter and jelly, sliced banana rolled in Lavash.
Calcium. Lunch might include a serving of yogurt or string cheese.  For kids who don't do dairy, there are many other calcium options, including green vegetables, or even calcium enriched juices.
Lean Protein. You may have already provided your child with protein by giving them yogurt or a simple sandwich with cheese. If there is not another protein source in the lunchbox, consider a hardboiled egg.

Healthy by Design Nutrition Specialists recommends a fun Bento Box to pack lunches. These are usually 2-3 compartmentalized boxes that fit together and are ideal for sending your child with several food choices. They can be found at Amazon.com and are reasonably priced.

Stacey Whittle, RD, CPT and Dorothy Bernet, MS, RD, CPT are Co-Founders of Healthy By Design Nutrition Specialists in Santa Monica, CA. For more information visit their website at:  www.healthybydesignnutrition.com

"Nora's knowledge of physiology and the human body and psychological needs of a client makes working out with her a one of a kind experience. I feel very grateful to have Nora as a source for my patients, friends, family and myself". – Lucy Postolov, L.Ac. Acupuncturist/Herbalist

Do you drop in and out of exercise because you
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