13/01/2020
Use it or lose it!!
We all love the Christmas and New Year season. Lots of rich, tasty food and relaxing with family and friends. Fun and celebrations that often create a welcome break in our usual, year long routines. At some point however, the magic has to end and we must return to our daily routines
Why not Invigorate your body, mind and day with some exercise. I don’t mean making the time to go to the gym, I mean just in the way that you move and use your body throughout your day. Sports, gyms and workouts are great for developing the body, but we don’t need to make huge changes to our timetables' in order to fit more exercise into our busy days, or to push our bodies beyond what we find comfortable.
Why not walk the dog that extra mile, or leave the car at home to shop for small carriable items.
Maybe take the stairs instead of the lift, if this seems a lot, like it could in high rise buildings, you might consider just taking the stairs for a few floors to begin with. On short flights of stairs, you might consider jogging up them and back down again. However, make sure that you maintain a hold on the handrail if you do, in case you trip.
Squatting is a great movement to tone the legs, and most of us are aware that you must squat to lift heavy objects in order to protect your back, but there is no reason to limit its use to that alone. You could fit squats into your day every time you bend to pick something up from the floor or a low cupboard. Just remember to keep your back straight and bend your knees.
You might work on your side to side lunges whilst mopping, or your forward lunges whilst hoovering, or even your “wax on, wax off” whilst cleaning your windows.
The important thing to think about is that our bodies are amazing. They are constantly evolving and adapting to meet our personal needs. When we change the way we move, even in small ways, we change the demands on our bodies and our bodies adapt accordingly. We don’t always have to create special conditions to maintain our body’s flexibility, improve our general wellbeing and enjoy greater self-care, we can bring these benefits into our everyday activities.
