The best way to prevent sports injuries is Cross Training. Cross Training is combining different workouts into your routine, or playing a variety of sports, and steering clear of repetitive movement. When creating a physical fitness plan incorporate cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility.
Begin your workout with some dynamic movement. High knees, kickbacks, squat jumps followed by stretching with static holds of 20 seconds. Or, if you are going for a run consider warming up on a stationary bike for 10 minutes just to get your muscles warm. The key to preventing injury is warming up the muscles. When the cardio portion of your workout is complete take 10-15 minutes to properly stretch.
Create a plan that alternates exercising different muscle groups, strengthens your core, and includes rest days to allow your body to recover. Rest days are commonly overlooked but one of the most important days of your fitness training. Rest days allow your body to repair itself, as well as the mind. Not taking a rest day leads to over training, injury, poor sleep, mental exhaustion and burnout. If you are training for an event consider using a coach either in person or virtually. Some great apps to use are My Fitness Pal, Nike Training Club or Garmin Connect.
Finally, diet plays a large role in injury prevention. Stay hydrated! Drink between 90- 128 ounces of water a day. Think of your body as a plant and plants need water to survive. It also needs fertilizer so eat plenty of protein, complex carbohydrates and green leafy vegetables. A proper diet gives your body the fuel it needs to properly preform during exercise.
If you do sustain a sports injury, make sure you participate in adequate rehabilitation before resuming strenuous activity. Follow their protocol to return to exercise. As always, before beginning any exercise regime, consult with your physician.