Staying Injury Free

One of the amazing things to come out of this time is that people are simply moving more. I wish it had come about from a much more pleasant reason. But there we have it, it’s happened and I for one am happy to see more people moving, if they keep their distance!

At the start of this situation I spoke to all my clients about trying lots of new things online or for those with more time, doing more exercise than their body is used to.

I asked them to have a chat with me so we could ensure it was going to have a positive effect on them.

I don’t want to hold anyone back, but I also wanted to ensure my clients stayed healthy and were able to continue doing whatever exercise they enjoy for the long term.

Getting stronger, faster or fitter requires a level of progression that your body can tolerate. I work hard when programming my client’s sessions to ensure they are getting fitter and stronger at the right pace for each one of them.

Look at the number of comments on social media from adults finding Joe Wicks PE Sessions tough going and know that if you have never done this sort of exercise you might need to exercise some caution when you start!

My rule of thumb, if you are new to any form of exercise is to do a lot less than you think! If you are struggling after the warmup, think very carefully about how you proceed during the activity. Be vigilant to how your breath sounds and listen carefully to signs from your body that it is under too much pressure or stress to keep up or keep going.

High Intensity workouts are great but if you haven't done high intensity training for months, years or ever then keep the intensity low. Allow your body to get stronger, slowly, it’s not sexy, I know but this is the major reason people get injured following DVDs or online workouts.

You need to be your own trainer, there is no one there reading your body language or watching to see when you can’t perform an exercise with great technique.

Couch to 5k is a brilliant place to start if you want to run. Rarely do people want to walk and run but again I encourage you to allow your body to adapt, slowly. You will be rewarded for your patience. I actively encourage my clients to download the app. I watch them run, offer some advice on their running technique and support their journey to becoming a runner. 

If you have always wanted to try Yoga. I recommend all my clients start with Yoga with Adriene, it's free content and she currently has a 30 day programme, Nurture to see you through April.

So by all means, try new things but please listen to your body, if you get a sniff that it’s too hard, please back off, be kind to your body and come out of this time healthier, fitter and stronger x