For most people, getting hurt is one of the worst things that can happen to them. If you’re like most people, you don’t realize just how much you’re able to do with your body until you lose certain abilities for a while or are forced to function through pain for some reason. Luckily, if you know what to look out for and how to treat your body right, there are quite a lot of illness or injuries that you can avoid in some cases, including getting a hernia. So to help keep your body free of the pain and complications that can come along with this type of injury, here are three things you can do to prevent getting a hernia.

Stay Within A Healthy Weight Range

In case you don’t know what a hernia is, it’s when a part of your intestine or other tissue in your abdomen pokes through a layer of your muscle that’s been weakened somehow. One way these muscles can become weakened, according to Quinn Phillips, a contributor to Everyday Health, is by having a lot of fat and extra body weight putting pressure on your body from the inside out. Whether you’re moving around or standing still, being overweight always puts more pressure on your body than it can reasonably bear for a prolonged period of time, which weakens your muscles and puts you at risk for getting a hernia. With this in mind, try to stay within a healthy weight range so you’re not putting unnecessary pressure on your body.

Take Care When Lifting Weights

In addition to having extra weight within your body, the strain that’s associated with putting more weight onto your muscles when working out can also cause a hernia. Especially if you frequently lift weights and are interested in pushing yourself to your limits and maxing out your muscles on a regular basis, you should be very careful that you use proper techniques to keep your body safe. According to Healthline.com, this includes that you always lift objects with your knees and not your back as well as trying not to lift weights that are far too heavy for you to manage safely.

Keep Your Body Regular

Weight lifting isn’t the only time during the day when you might be straining. If you’re having trouble emptying your bowels, you could also be putting yourself at risk for a hernia. To keep this from happening to you, the Cleveland Clinic recommends that you eat foods that will help to keep your body regular—like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—in order to avoid issues with constipation and too much straining in the bathroom.

If you’re concerned about getting a hernia, consider using the preventative tips mentioned above.

Originally posted on February 8, 2019 @ 6:12 pm