Or, even more boringly titled ‘Appropriate Exercise’…..
I had wanted to get going sooner and magically ‘win the internet’ with incredible Pilates and Corrective Exercise routines to wow the masses but it quickly become apparent that not only was social media at saturation point with offerings but homeschooling had won in the battle between professional development and parenting…..any ground made was largely due to Joe Wicks google searches misdirecting to movewithjo.com….
With so much on offer and many turning to running to get the most from their allocated Exercise Time it got me thinking about the choices that were being promoted. I read Facebook comments about overloaded abdominals from You Tube workouts, I listened to my friend tell me about her neck pain attempting The 100 whilst doing a virtual Pilates class her work had set up and I witnessed a lot of extremely unsustainable running styles in the park.
As a corrective exercise specialist I wanted to highlight the importance of self preservation in these exacting times and offer up an Appropriate Exercise Checklist!
Appropriate Exercise Checklist.
- Is your body pain free after undertaking new exercise? (symmetrical delayed onset muscle soreness aside) Check your technique, if you’re not sure give it a miss.
- Is your body pain free on a normal day to day basis – Are you incorporating maintenance exercises to help vulnerable areas? e.g pelvic floor, neck or back tension.
- Try to think about ways to counter the positions you hold yourself in during the day – like sitting, screen-time to prevent muscle tension and imbalance.
- (Similarly to 3) Try to think about supplementing your body with extra movements and positions that you are not getting through your daily life? Reaching, rotating, hanging, squatting, pushing and pulling through a variety of ranges of movement…?
- Is the exercise you are doing the right impact for you if you’ve had pelvic floor or joint issues? If you feel you have to run, consider shorter hill sessions to help reduce the impact but still get cardiovascular reward.
- Take rest days, vary your exercises and do sufficient stretching.
Take care and stay home!
Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash
Move With Jo 