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How to Help Prevent Injuries

By Dr. Dana Lis

August 15, 2026

Injuries. We don’t really spend much time worrying about them when we’re younger, for our bodies are typically able to overcome them relatively quickly. As we age, however, an injury can not only occur more easily, it can persist considerably longer — keeping us from our favorite activities, causing occasional pain and discomfort, even compromising our quality of life.

In other words, we’re best off to try and avoid that injury — or worse, a series of injuries — in the first place. I walk you through the steps you can take to help prevent injuries, including what type of warm up to employ, the best kind of workouts and exercises to do, and how to eat and supplement.

Injuries can become more common as you age, for women and men

Both women and men become more susceptible to injuries as they age, although the underlying reasons differ somewhat.

For example, workout or sport-related injuries can become more common. They may result from doing too much too soon, poor exercise technique, repetitive overuse, etc.

As women age — particularly during perimenopause and menopause — declining estrogen levels can affect connective tissues such as ligaments, tendons and muscles, increasing the risk of injury. Estrogen helps support collagen production and the strength of connective tissue, so as levels decrease, these tissues may become less resilient and slower to repair.

As a result, even minor falls or tweaking a muscle or joint during a workout or playing a sport can lead to more significant injuries than they might have earlier in life.

Men also become more vulnerable to injuries as they age, although the underlying reasons differ somewhat from women. While men don't experience the rapid hormonal shifts that women do during menopause, gradual declines in testosterone may contribute indirectly by accelerating muscle loss, reducing strength and slowing tissue repair.

As men get older, they experience gradual declines in muscle mass, strength, tendon elasticity, bone density and recovery capacity. These changes make muscles and connective tissues less resilient and more prone to strains, tears and overuse injuries. Collagen production also slows with age, reducing the ability of joints to withstand stress and recover after exercise.

Common injuries in midlife women and men include:

• Rotator cuff injuries

• Frozen shoulder

• Achilles tendon injuries

• Ankle sprains

Meanwhile, women can be more vulnerable to ACL tears while men are more susceptible to meniscus tears, hamstring and calf strains, lower back injuries, and tendon issues such as tennis elbow.

Best ways to help prevent injuries

To help reduce injury risk as you age, it’s important to help maintain muscle and connective tissue health alongside taking other steps.

1. Warm up before your workout or sport

As you age, gone are the days when you just immediately start running, lift heavy weights or swing that racket or club with abandon — without any warmup whatsoever. Do that when you’re getting older, you’re practically asking for an injury.

Instead, you need to warm up. It doesn’t need to be a super dynamic warm-up with tons of moves, but it’s important to get good flow throughout your body and joints.

What’s the best warm-up before a workout? It’s the one that prepares your body for the specific workout or sport you're about to do.

You want to gradually raise your heart rate, increase blood flow to working muscles, improve joint mobility and activate the muscles you'll be using during exercise. This can help improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

A solid warm-up typically includes:

• A few minutes of light aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, cycling or jogging, to increase circulation and body temperature.

• Dynamic stretches, such as leg swings, arm circles, walking lunges or torso twists, to improve mobility and prepare joints for movement.

• Movement-specific exercises that mimic your workout. For example, perform bodyweight squats before lower-body strength training or use light weights for high reps for your upper body movements, such as chest presses, shoulder presses and back rows.

• If you’re playing a sport, do movements that resemble what you’re about to do. If it involves running, do some short running drills, like running forwards and backwards and side to side. For club and racquet sports, swing that club or racquet for a few minutes, in a variety of strokes and directions.

• Your warmup can also simply be a mobility workout that’s all encompassing (see below).

2. Add a mobility workout

A mobility workout is a relatively new concept. It’s a separate but short workout that can stand alone or precede activity. It’s great for people as they age, or even for younger folks who work jobs in which they’re largely sedentary.

Benefits of a mobility workout can include improving joint range of motion, supporting common movement patterns (helping with posture, balance and coordination), enhancing workout or sport performance, reducing stiffness and lowering injury risk. After a workout, a mobility workout can increase blood flow to muscles and connective tissues, which may help reduce post-exercise soreness and improve recovery.

A mobility workout is usually 10–20 minutes. Focus on exercises that move your body through its full range of motion, such as bodyweight squats, shoulder circles or rotations, trunk twists, hip openers and lunges.

The goal is to support the way you move in everyday life, so choose routines that fit your needs—whether that's yoga, guided mobility sessions (check out YouTube for a “mobility workout”) or simple dynamic movements.

Mobility workouts are also highly flexible. You can do them first thing in the morning, during a break from work or as part of your warm-up before exercise. The best routine is one you'll do consistently, such as every day or at least every other day, and that helps you move comfortably throughout your day.

3. Strength train, the right way

You probably know that strength training helps increase your strength and power, plus can boost your athletic performance and even your metabolism. But strength is also good for your balance and stability, bone health, joint support and back strength. In other words, it’s a key tool to use to help prevent injury.

In fact, when performed with proper form and appropriate loads, strength training strengthens the muscles and connective tissues around joints.

Ideally you’re strength training 2–3 times per week. While you want to challenge your muscles, you don’t need to “lift heavy.” Instead, it’s most important to use good technique and do steady reps rather than lifting too explosively.

See our article on strength training for beginners. Consider getting a personal trainer until you get the hang of things.

4. Choose the right activities for healthy aging

As you age, especially if you’re an athlete of any kind, it’s important to know when to let go of certain activities, sports or goals.

Fitness classes with a lot of jumping or heavy weights aren’t recommended for older people, for example. Sports that require a lot of sudden changes of direction, involve a lot of jumping or encompass a lot of explosive movements aren’t always suitable as you age. They can make you more likely to suffer a joint injury (such as an ankle sprain or ACL tear) or strained muscle (such as a pulled hamstring or calf strain).

Instead, consider opting for safer, less high-impact activities and sports:

• Spin classes rather than HIIT

• Walk or cycle instead of run

• Pickleball rather than tennis

• Yoga or pilates instead of boot camp classes

• Golf rather than basketball

• Hiking instead of rock climbing

5. Avoid overtraining

While mild muscle soreness is normal, if you're still experiencing significant soreness, fatigue, stiffness, or joint discomfort that limits your movement, your body may need more recovery time. The key to avoiding overtraining is giving your body enough time to recover and listening to how you feel before your next workout.

Rather than pushing through every workout, consider alternating higher-intensity strength training or any kind of impact exercise with lower-intensity activities like walking, hiking, swimming or cycling. Changing the type of exercise or focusing on different muscle groups allows your body to stay active while giving sore tissues a chance to recover.

It's also important to pay attention to your energy levels. If you feel unusually fatigued, struggle to complete a workout, or your joints remain stiff even after warming up, these may be signs that you're overdoing it.

Recovery doesn't always mean complete rest — often, light movement can help you feel better. The goal is to balance challenging workouts with adequate recovery so you can continue exercising consistently without increasing your risk of injury.

6. Add a cool-down routine along with foam rolling

A proper cool-down can help your body transition out of exercise and support recovery. After your workout, spend a few minutes walking or performing gentle movements, followed by light stretching to help reduce muscle tightness and maintain flexibility. (You can also do a short mobility workout, like the above.)

Some light stretching movements can include the following:

• Standing quad stretch — Stand on one leg, bend the opposite knee, and gently pull your foot toward your glutes while keeping your knees together.

• Hamstring stretch — Extend one leg in front of you with your heel on the floor, then hinge forward at your hips while keeping your back straight.

• Hip flexor stretch — Step into a lunge position and gently press your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the back hip.

• Wall calf stretch — Place your hands on a wall, step one foot back, keep the heel on the floor and lean forward until you feel a stretch in your calf.

• Chest stretch — Clasp your hands behind your back and gently lift your arms while opening your chest and drawing your shoulders back.

• Shoulder stretch — Bring one arm across your chest and use your opposite hand to gently pull it closer to your body.

• Overhead triceps stretch — Raise one arm overhead, bend your elbow so your hand reaches down your back and gently press on the elbow with your opposite hand.

• Cat-cow stretch — On your hands and knees, alternate between arching your back toward the ceiling and lowering your belly while lifting your head and chest.

Each into each stretch for 20–30 seconds and breathe deeply throughout.

You can also incorporate foam rolling or a massage gun as part of your cool-down. These forms of self-myofascial release may help ease tight muscles, increase blood flow and promote the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to recovering tissues. Focus on areas that feel especially tight or muscles you just worked, although some people also find them helpful before exercise to warm up and improve mobility.

While foam rolling isn't a substitute for stretching or recovery, it can be a valuable addition to a well-rounded routine that helps keep your muscles feeling their best.

7. Watch your blood sugar

Keeping your blood sugar in a healthy range is important not only for metabolic health but also for maintaining mobility and reducing injury risk as you age. Over time, elevated blood sugar can contribute to the formation of compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which can stiffen collagen and other connective tissues. This may reduce flexibility, limit joint mobility, and make muscles, tendons, and ligaments less resilient.

Regular physical activity, especially strength training and walking, along with a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, can help support healthy blood sugar levels and keep your muscles and joints functioning well. Staying active helps promote mobility, improve movement quality, and may reduce the risk of falls and other injuries as you age.

8. Enough protein and carbohydrates to assist recovery

Getting enough protein and carbohydrates is essential for recovering from exercise and supporting future performance. Protein provides the amino acids needed to support muscle health, while carbohydrates replenish the glycogen (stored carbohydrate) your muscles use for energy during exercise.

Together, these nutrients help your body recover, adapt to training and prepare for your next workout. It’s why I’m never a fan of low-carb diets, especially for anyone who wants to be active.

For more intense workouts — especially strength training or back-to-back training sessions — eating a meal or snack containing both protein and carbohydrates within about an hour after exercise can help support recovery. A classic protein smoothie with a protein powder and some frozen fruit often does the trick.

While overall daily intake is most important, spreading protein evenly throughout the day can also help maximize muscle repair and maintenance, particularly as you age.

9. Avoid nutrient shortfalls

Meeting your body's nutrient needs is essential for maintaining strong bones, healthy muscles and resilient connective tissues — all of which can help reduce the risk of injury as you age. In addition to eating enough total calories to support your activity level and recovery, prioritize nutrients such as protein, calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.

Weight-bearing exercise, along with adequate calcium and vitamin D, helps support bone health, while magnesium plays an important role in maintaining and replenishing magnesium levels. .

Omega-3 fatty acids may help support healthy joints and cardiovascular health. Collagen supplements may also help support healthy joints when combined with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

The best approach is to build your diet around nutrient-dense foods — including dairy or fortified alternatives, leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts, seeds, legumes, and lean proteins — and speak with your healthcare professional if you're concerned about potential nutrient deficiencies or whether supplements may be appropriate for you.

10. Consider a few supplements

While nutrition and rest are the foundation of recovery, certain supplements can help support muscle health, performance, and joint health after exercise.

• Whey protein: A digestion-friendly, complete protein that provides essential amino acids (including Branched Chain Amino Acids, or BCAAs) to support an increase in lean muscles, recovery and strength. Ancient Nutrition's Whey Protein also includes collagen to support healthy joints.

• Creatine: One of the most researched sports supplements, creatine helps improve recovery between workouts, supports strength gains and promotes lean body mass and muscle strength. Ancient Nutrition's Creatine + Collagen combines creatine monohydrate with fermented eggshell membrane collagen for muscle, joint and cognitive support.

• Multi protein powder: Protein blends provide a variety of amino acids to support muscle strength, lean body mass, cognitive support and post-workout muscle recovery. Ancient Nutrition's Multi Protein Animal-Based + Creatine delivers 26 grams of complete protein plus 5 grams of creatine in one serving.

• Collagen: Collagen provides amino acids and supports joint health, making it a valuable complement to strength training. Ancient Nutrition offers several collagen formulas designed to support recovery and joint comfort.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids promote healthy joints and cardiovascular health. Ancient Nutrition's Ancient Omegas capsules provide this essential type of fatty acid for these benefits.

• Electrolytes + collagen: Replacing fluids and electrolytes after exercise supports hydration, while collagen helps support joint health. Multi Collagen Advanced Hydrate combines both benefits to support hydration, joint comfort and exercise recovery.

11. Get enough sleep

Sleep is one of the most important parts of injury prevention and recovery. While you sleep, your body repairs damaged muscle tissue, rebuilds strength and adapts to the physical demands of exercise.

Not getting enough quality sleep can slow recovery, increase fatigue and raise the risk of injury during future workouts. If you're training regularly or exercising intensely, prioritizing adequate sleep — and getting enough protein throughout the day — can help support muscle repair and prepare your body for your next workout.

Dr. Dana Lis is a globally recognized leader in the field of performance nutrition and a member of the Ancient Nutrition Wellness Roundtable (and a paid partner). As one of the few Registered Dietitians decorated with the renowned IOC Diploma in Sport Nutrition and a PhD. Currently, Dana heads into her seventh season as the Performance Nutrition Consultant for the Golden State Warriors. With nearly 20 years of experience, Dana has worked with Olympic and professional sports across various continents and a spectrum of disciplines. Dana continues to drive the nutrition field forward through mentorship, shaping best practices and challenging the status quo. This includes Performance Nutrition Professionals, which she launched with Jennifer Gibson, MS, RD, and which trains sport dietitians in the U.S.