Health & Safety – An Update

Like I said before, we’re very accommodating of irregular participation or withdrawals due to (amongst other things) illness and injuries.

Health and fitness has been an important focus on FIOFAFI for some time.   The “Fitness & Safety” page, previously variously called “Health”, “Health Etc”, “Health & Fitness”, “Health, Fitness & Safety” and “Health & Safety” was re-named “Sustainability” on 11 April 2009.

The contents of the page have remained largely unchanged since it was first written on 7 June 2008, including the following:

In summary, FIOFAFI is about continuing to enjoy sport or participate in physical activity regularly to improve and maintain fitness, even as we get older.

In order to continue to participate regularly into our forties and fifties, we should aim to keep healthy and avoid injuries. Below is miscellaneous health, fitness and safety information:

• Warming up and warming down
• “Weekend warrior syndrome”

Sustainability – making it a point to participate regularly once or twice a week (subject to work, family or other social commit0ments and health), without over-extending ourselves and risking injury – is the key.

….If you haven’t played for a while, especially if you had a long lay off due to injury, I strongly suggest that you obtain clearance from a doctor or specialist before you resume playing. If you are ill or injured, allow yourself sufficient time to recover before you return. There is little point in coming back too soon and aggravating the illness or injury, which in the end, keeps you out for longer.

….  The game can be hard and fast, without throwing ourselves into reckless challenges, or pushing ourselves beyond our physical limits. However, by playing regularly, you will find that you do get fitter.

If you pick up an injury during the game, it is up to you decide if you can continue, but if there is a real risk of aggravating the injury, DON’T!

The “Mind & Body” category was created in December 2008 to cover a wide range of posts, including health, fitness and safety.

If you’re injured or ill, take time to rest and recover. See a doctor or suitable specialist where necessary. On the other hand, medical clearance has not been required before anyone resumes playing after injury or illness. We’re all adults here, so I assume we know how to look after ourselves. 🙂

Last Thursday, I found the following quote from a tae-kwon-do master:

Think long term.  ….  Listen to your body and not your mind. I have seen too many adults come into class and their minds say their body is 21. They either stretch too far, or kick too hard, or try to achieve what used to be easy.

However, if health and fitness is the goal, it helps to be focused, without getting obsessed.

It should help to know that there will be ample opportunity to resume playing the following week, or in the weeks to come, after you have recovered from your injury or illness.

For the same reason, if we’re short of players and no one else is available, I’d rather cancel the session, even at a late stage (as was the case yesterday), than try to persuade participants who are injured, unwell or not fully fit to play.

In order to avoid injuries, do give some thought to the equipment you need, such as the type of shoes you wear, and supports, guards and other protective gear.  I’m no expert, but there is a lot of information available on the internet.

The rules we play to are also geared towards reducing the risk of injury.

The “Sustainability” page also states:

In order avoid unnecessary injuries, in addition to making the game fair and enjoyable, the rules we play to should aim to minimize the risk of unnecessary injury. Tackles that may be acceptable on a field may be dangerous or reckless on a hard court or in an enclosed space.

….

Reckless or intentional acts which cause injury to an opponent may give rise to civil or even criminal liability, so don’t get too worked up over anything that happens during a session or on the blog – after all, it is for health, fitness and fun.

Ultimately, you are responsible for both your own well-being, and the well-being of those you play with. ….

As we get older, recovery from injuries may be slower, or worse, may never be complete, so it’s best to avoid unnecessary risks.

While the focus of health and fitness is on oneself, the focus of safety is as much on the others we play with as on ourselves.

The “Sustainability” page will be re-written in the next week or so.  Although some of the content quoted above may be removed, the principles should not be forgotten.