Lockdown exercise tips and advice

So, here's our lockdown exercise tips and advice.

For some of us it might be about maintaining our previous levels of fitness without having access to the equipment that we have become accustomed to, whilst for others it might be about relieving the potential boredom of being inside more. Either way, most of us are just trying to keep as healthy as we can under the circumstances.

Lockdown exercise tips and advice

If you are starting some new exercises that you are not familiar with then the is important to remember some basic pointers. If it is an unfamiliar exercise then always start off gentle, try not to do too many and build up from there. For example, we have seen some squat challenges doing the rounds on social media and whilst squats are certainly a good exercise, if you’re not used to them then it would not be sensible jumping straight in trying to do 100’s on your first day. A more sensible approach is to work in repetitions of 10, and building up the number of sets of 10 that you do over the days and weeks (making sure to add in rest days).

The expression ‘no pain, no gain’ gets used a lot but in reality, it can often be misinterpreted or sometimes even be harmful. Whilst it is usually a normal (and good) thing to feel some fatigue and a general ache after exercise, it is certainly not advisable to push through more specific focused pain whilst exercising. Any ache that does not settle in a day or so after exercise suggests that you may have done too much or need to rethink your amount of exercise and technique in order to reduce the risk of aggravation and injury.

It is also important to remember that an exercise programme does not need to be something outlandish, for example a brisk twenty-minute walk three or four times a week, whilst maintaining good social distancing, has multiple health benefits and does not require any specialist techniques or equipment. When exercising it is also important to remember to warm-up and cool-down (see our latest blog on warm-up and cool-downs), this can often be something as simple as marching on the spot for five minutes. It is best to include any stretches in your cool down after exercise as the muscle is warmed up and pliable as opposed to trying to stretch it before beforehand.

If you do have a current injury and you have specific concerns regarding safely exercising then we would encourage you to utilise our FREE Ask-A-Physio service or if required then you could book an online Physiotherapy consultation. Please remember to ensure that your exercise falls within the safe parameters of the current guidance and legislation, and that you undertake the recommended shielding if required. Also, those with specific underlying health conditions which would require you to speak to an appropriate health professional prior to beginning an exercise programme, should arrange to do so in a way which is a safe and appropriate following the current guidance.

Throughout this period of uncertainty, we will be be updating our lockdown exercise tips and advice so stay tuned!