With every New Year, we flock to the gym, sign up for a new class, commit to completing a couch to 5k. It is also the time of year where our bodies wished we were just hibernating rather than romping the icy streets of Cardiff. Now, this is not to say that all those good intentions should go to waste, however it is worth considering how we approach a new activity and uptick in physical exertion.
Injuries most often occur when we are tired, run-down, over-doing it, not listening to our bodies and not allowing for good enough recovery. During the winter months, our bodies are also burdened with the onslaught of seasonal bugs, potential vitamin D deficiency, a drive to hunker down, eat and sleep, and to a degree, we should respect that. Suddenly donning the running shoes and heading out for a 10k when you have spent the best part of Autumn sitting down, is a recipe for aches and pains which if ignored, can interrupt your training plan. So how do we approach improving our health without causing ourselves a New Year injury?
Get out for a walk
It is a great idea to get yourself out and about during the Winter months. A Winter walk has many benefits including:
Daylight exposure; brilliant for maintaining a good circadian rhythm and giving your brain a boost and improving sleep quality.
It's a cardio workout; it gets your heart and lungs working, especially when walking at a pace or up hills. Walking can give you a really effective cardio workout whilst being gentle on the body.
Reduces Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) giving your brain a little feel-good boost by increasing endorphins.
It can be social if you want it to be! Meet up with someone for a walk and talk.
Start as you mean to go on
Rather than jumping in the deep end, pace yourself, start gently and start small which will make it manageable. Following a structured plan such as a couch to 5k, gradually increases your activity load. Do not be afraid to take it even slower. If you have just started jogging, three times a week can often be the reason people stop before they get started, so drop one of the short mid-week runs to allow for longer recovery. You can repeat weeks and catch up with the schedule later.
Clever recovery
Women recover in a different way to men and have different dietary needs to re-fuel as we get older and our blood sugar levels become more twitchy. Our hormone cycles are intricately linked to how well our bodies respond to endurance versus speed and strength sessions. There is a whole other blog post load of content on this alone and how to maximise results according to your cycle, but in a nutshell, women require a good source of protein paired with a complex carbohydrate within 30minutes of finishing a workout to have the best affect on repair and growth (think scrambled egg on wholegrain seedy toast - pronto!). You can incorporate active rest into your week with gentle walks, stretching activities such as yoga or varying workouts targeting different muscle groups (see below).
Mix things up
Human bodies LOVE variety and so do our brains. Find different types of activity that you enjoy and intersperse them throughout your week. You are more likely to carry on doing activities you find fun and the variation will exercise your body in different ways. By mixing things up, you are able to do more exercise overall as you allow different muscle groups to recover whilst you focus on a different kind of movement.
Little things add up
A common barrier to activity and exercise, is time. Try not to get het up over doing an hour's workout. When you think of it, do 5 squats whilst brushing your teeth, balance on one leg standing in the Nursery queue, walk the school run, do 10 star jumps whilst waiting for pasta to boil or have a dance around the kitchen. 5-10 minutes here and there really start to add up throughout the week and by being less daunting, they actually get done. Don't underestimate how much of a workout doing the vacuuming is!
Monitor progress and be prepared to adapt
Now this is a marmite-y one; some people love a good ol' page of data and others get demoralised by it. Rather than focusing on each workout, which will fluctuate on a daily/weekly basis, monitor and reflect on your general trends. Don't forget to reflect on how you FEEL; by noticing how you are meeting your goals and celebrating those improvements, you are more likely to make new activities, long-term habits. If something isn't working for you or you no longer enjoy it, or it is causing you injury, don't be scared to put it on pause. Some activities are very seasonal and good for you at different stages and phases. What worked in your 20s may not work for you postpartum or in your 50s, explore new things until you find something you click with.
Listen to your body
Don't ignore the subtle signs that something isn't quite right. I love the saying 'If you listen to your body whisper, you won't have to hear it scream'. By exploring what is causing those aches and pains, treating them and solving their cause, you are saving yourself a huge headache in the long run.
Starting a new exercise regime, adding movement to your day and getting yourself outdoors are all fantastic goals. By easing yourself into it gently, recovering sensibly, pacing yourself and listening closely to your body, you will be setting up daily habits that will last beyond the initial January flurry. Approach it thinking 'Marathon, not a sprint'. Good luck moving from January into the rest of your year, injury-free and moving more.
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