The Best Forms of Exercise

The Best Forms of Exercise To Do

And why!

We are all aware that exercise is good for you but what are the best forms of exercise? Our soft tissue therapist Emily, who is also a triathlon coach, has given us her views on the best forms of exercise that you can do and why:

1) Ones that are incorporated into your life organically

Cycling / running / walking to work / run errands, using a stand up desk, swimming, gardening, taking the stairs etc. This is how we moved before humans made life over-convenient and sedentary, so now we have to set aside time and space to exercise. We’re also more likely do stick at the fun stuff so do things you enjoy.

2) Different types = cross training

Spending all your training time doing one sport can make you good at that sport, but you won’t be challenging your brain / your neuro pathways / your muscles doing the same thing for years and you’ll be more prone to injuries. Branch out, go outside of your comfort zone and try a different genre of sport! I’ve competed in wakeboarding, judo, fencing, lacrosse, triathlon and everything in between. Fundamentally cross training gives you a more well rounded type of fitness.

3) Exercises that involves bilateral movements and ambidexterity

The majority of injuries stem from imbalanced strength in muscles and range of movement. As with no 2, we get lazy just using our dominant side, so why not try brushing your teeth with your other arm, breathing bilaterally (even rotation of the torso) in swimming, kick the ball with your other foot?

If you’d like advice on your current exercise formats or switching up your exercise routine, do get in touch with us for a virtual or face to face appointment.

Words by Emily Chong.

Getting Back To The Gym!

Getting Back To The Gym

Gyms are open! Time to get back in! I was on a roll before, time to pick it up again! All this walking and jogging over lockdown has kept me in shape so I'll be fine!

Just Be Careful

Easy there Tiger, just be careful. Whether it has been 4 months or 13 months since you last stepped through the gym doors, if you've been spending each day walking or jogging to stay in shape then your body will have adapted to that and away from what it was able to do before. You may feel like you'll be able to get back to your previous level of bench press quickly but if you've not done much upper body work in that time, you will have lost a bit of what you had.

Keep On Walking!

There is also no need to stop what you have been doing as well. Don’t lose those gains made by just stopping. Whilst there may be time constraints that could limit how much you are able to devote to some of these activities, if your body has become adapted to 60 minutes of steady lower limb work, it may not have the capacity to comfortably allow compressing that into 30 minutes of higher intensity work. It may require some reorganisation in your day but much of this good work you have been doing can be continued.

Return Steadily

This is not to say don't go back to the gym. There has been a lot of sensible advice around taking things steadily on your return which is worth heeding. It is better to feel a little frustrated that you could have done a little more whilst building your work back up during your first 3 or 4 sessions back than to go back too hard too soon and injure yourself meaning more significant change to your gym program.

And Enjoy It!

As always the key thing is to enjoy your exercise time. Any type of change within an exercise program carries an element of risk, the size of that risk is consistent with the size and volume of change within that program. There is no need to fear that change so long as it is steady and progressive rather than a great leap in one direction or other.

Have fun!

If you have any persistent niggles, aches or pains don't soldier on in silence making them worse. Get in touch with us if you need us.

Words by Paul Martin.

Project Unicorn - The Running Channel’s Quarantine To Qualifier

Project Unicorn - The Running Channel’s Quarantine To Qualifier

We’re delighted to be working with Anna from The Running Channel (if you’re a runner and you don’t follow The Running Channel you should!) on her challenge - ‘Project Unicorn’:

Hi everyone, I’m Anna and I’m a runner! I’ve been presenting on The Running Channel on YouTube for a couple of years now and I’m always up for a challenge. So far these have included (but are not limited to) a marathon in my 10m back garden during lockdown, running a mile every hour on the hour for 24 hours, a 260km ultra in the Azores plus a few other marathons along the way.

Anna Harding from The Running Channel, about to take on Project Unicorn.

Project Unicorn

My next challenge will be a little longer in the making. It’s a challenge we are affectionately calling ‘Project Unicorn’. My next challenge is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

I’ll be training for the next few months up until Autumn 2021, when I’ll take on a marathon to get that time. For me, it’s 3 hours 30 mins. Well, it’ll be a few minutes under that actually to guarantee qualification. To give you an idea of what that means for me, my marathon PB, set at Amsterdam Marathon 2019 is 3:53:06. So just a casual 25ish minutes to shave off.

The BIG difference this time though, is that we’re treating this as a bit of an experiment. We’re building ‘Team Anna’ to get me to that finish line. We’ve put together the best of the best when it comes to a coach, sports psychologist and, of course, physiotherapist. Paul Martin is going to be an integral part of Team Anna - he’s already helped me with my first hurdle of injuring my calf on a rather overzealous speed session!

Training

The real training will start 16 weeks out from race day, which hasn’t been 100% set in stone yet because of the uncertainty with coronavirus, but it’ll be around May that I need to step it up a notch. Until then, it’s cross training on the bike for me, calf raises, Paul’s infamous glute circuit and a bit of core work to get me in top shape ready for the mileage to increase.

Watch this space over on YouTube for Paul’s first appearance in the Quarantine To Qualifier series in episode 2. You can find out more about the challenge in episode 1 now:

We are superchuffed to be part of Team Anna and we’re looking forward to following her journey to Boston!

Words by Anna Harding from The Running Channel.

Top Tips On Starting Or Getting Back To Cycling

Top Tips On Starting Or Getting Back To Cycling

If you’re thinking about starting cycling or getting back to cycling, give it a go! It’s low impact and a fantastic cardiovascular cross training option which complements running and other sports very well. You can travel far and wide, local coronavirus restrictions permitting, under your own steam which is very satisfying.

Our NoviceRunnerNik, who appears to have acquired a cycling addiction over the last few years to add to her running addiction, has drawn on her own recent experiences of getting back to cycling and written up her top 10 tips:

Like many people I’ve ridden a bike from a young age (with stabilisers) on and off for years (without the stabilisers) and I’m into cycling in a big way at the moment so I thought I’d share my top tips for getting into it or back to it:

Getting back to it or getting started:

1.      If you didn’t do a Cycling Proficiency course or similar at school and / or are nervous of how to cycle, you can take online cycling Bikeability courses and watch videos, which may help with your knowledge and confidence.

2.      Read the current Highway Code so that you know your responsibilities as a cyclist and those of the vehicles sharing the road with you.

3.      Check your bike’s tyres are in good condition and inflated to the pressure shown on the tyre, that its gears are working correctly and that the saddle and handlebars are adjusted to suit your body geometry. If it doubt have it serviced.

4.      Start slowly with shorter distances and build up your mileage gradually.

5.      Be safe and visible. Wear a cycling helmet for all your rides and wear a high vis top and use bike lights, front and back, even in daylight. I’ve found that drivers are generally better behaved when I have lights switched on, on my bike.

6.      Ride with confidence – you have just as much right to be on the road as the other vehicles do – and look ahead for hazards such as potholes and slow traffic so you can avoid sudden changes of direction.

7.      Don’t let hills put you off. Walk them if you need to.  No one cares! And they are good for you!

8.      If you like using a sports tracker such as Strava, use one to record your rides. You can also check out other people’s routes and see how your fitness improves over time.

9.      Follow any local Covid-19 local restrictions when you ride your bike (it goes without saying really) and remember to give pedestrians next to or in the road a wide berth.

10.  Make it fun so that you keep doing it. Stop to admire the views, take photos, drink coffee and eat cake and enjoy it!

Also check out our other cycling blog posts for more tips and inspiration to ride.

Next time: upping your cycling distance and becoming properly addicted to riding!

Words by NoviceRunnerNik.

Body Part Of The Month: The Neck

Body Part Of The Month: The Neck

For the next blog post in our Body Part Of The Month series, our spinal specialist physio Paul tells us about the neck.

The Neck

The neck is comprised of 7 vertebrae. It plays a vital role in providing the immediate base for the head to sit on and the origin point for many muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. The vertebrae contain and protect the upper spinal cord and brain stem which can migrate down as far as the third vertebrae in certain movements. From an evolutionary perspective, good mobility is vital in the neck as a means of allowing wide range visualisation to spot danger. This mobility is maintained by good alignment of the various joints within the neck which, between the 7 vertebrae, vary considerably.

The joint between the base of the skull and the top vertebrae (atlanto-occipital joint) is shaped similar to the joint in the knee so allows hinge movements - this joint is where a large percentage of nodding (flexion and extension) occurs. The joints between the 1st and 2nd vertebrae (atlanto-axial joint) are much flatter and sloped slightly down which allows for the majority of rotation in the neck (up to 60% of neck rotation occurs at this joint alone).

There are lots of muscles that attach around the lower part of the skull and upper neck joints that when working well allow smooth movement - if they become overloaded or overstretched, this is when movement can become limited and this can have an impact upon the rest of the neck and lower down the spine. The other 5 vertebrae link with progressively steep joint angles as the cervical spine transitions towards the thoracic spine.

When your neck works well

The neck works best when weight is evenly distributed through each of the cervical vertebrae. There should be a mild front to back curve in the cervical spine (lordosis) which is concave to the rear. The head should sit squarely on the top of the neck. To allow this to happen there needs to be good support from the lower back and thoracic spine as the head is essentially balanced on top of a long stick comprised of lots of small parts stacked up vertically. Changing the position of some of the lower vertebrae means the head needs to change position to balance you properly - to test this, sit upright on a chair. Then slowly allow your lower back to bend and your pelvis to rock back - feel the effect this has on your neck (it should feel like it's sliding forwards and poking out your chin).

When your neck doesn't work well

Neck pain can be easily distracted by pain in other areas - often the shoulder and arm. Broad, vague areas of pain in the shoulder or upper limb can be more to do with some stiffness in the neck rather than local shoulder pathology. Neck joint or muscle stiffness can contribute to referral into shoulder or upper arm pain and, of course, being where the majority of sensory nerves to the arm originate, neck issues can have wide ranging impact. As well as that, disc issues in the neck can impact basic function downstream such as gait and lower limb power although this is rare. Local muscular spasm and joint stiffness can be very painful and this pain can significantly limit range of movement in one direction - when addressed quickly this can be quickly resolved.

Common neck injuries

Most neck issues we see are fairly mild and tend to be related to postural changes with prolonged sitting. Often neck pains in a whiplash style can occur following a fall where the arm or shoulder breaks a fall but the head keeps going, placing strain on the muscles to the side of the spine. Occasionally there is little immediate neck pain in this scenario, but it tends to creep up over subsequent days. Local muscular spasm is fairly common, often when turning the neck in an awkward way - this can be worse when carrying or lifting a load.

Avoiding neck pain

The key to avoiding neck pain is maintaining a good range of movement (this will vary from person to person) and a good head on neck posture. Whilst the local muscle length is important, a lot of good neck posture starts around the lower back and abdominal muscles that offer a base of support through the thoracic spine to the neck itself. Once this area is improved, local neck management can become a lot more straightforward.

As always, if you have any persistent niggles, aches or pains in your neck or other places, don't soldier on in silence making them worse. Get in touch with us if you need us.

Words by our specialist spinal physiotherapist Paul Martin.

Getting Back To Training!

Getting Back To It!

It's starting to get lighter in the mornings and it's getting darker later. Is it feeling a little warmer, or is it too early to say? Has dry January only taken things so far and you know you need to get back to your previous exercise routine? You might even have some races or events pencilled into your diary for this year (fingers crossed!). If it's been a while since you've been able to do what you want to do, before you strap on your Dunlop Green Flash and head out for a 20 miler as you last did in October, a little bit of planning can help avoid injuries getting in the way of your return to previous levels.

What are you aiming to do?

Are you a runner that hasn't run for 4 months? A cyclist who last saw their bike in the shed before a pile of boxes got in the way? If the usual process to return to your exercise has been disrupted, try to think about what the demands of exercise on your body will be. Problems tend to arise when the body is unable to tolerate the load applied to it, either repeatedly or over a few episodes. If you have not been able to do what you wanted to, your body may have lost some of its tolerance to the load it previously absorbed well. So, before you restart how can you prepare your body for this?

What are your sport requirements?

What is it you need your body to do? Running is a series of springs from foot to foot maintaining and then generating momentum to move forwards. For this your calf muscles will need to be able to lengthen and shorten quickly (depending on how fast you run), your hips, knees and feet will need to be in good alignment facing to the front, abs need to work to help keep the pelvis level and offer support to the trunk and body above. Do you need to work all of these things? Maybe not, but spending some time doing some calf raises or a few gentle hops in the week or two building up to your return might help prepare your body.

Cycling needs less spring through the calf and ankles than running so may need less of this type of work, so doing more work with a fixed foot might be more useful (like standing up from a chair with one leg a few times, which replicates part of the cycling action), although good alignment remains key. Train some of the essential movements so that when you are doing them repeatedly there is some tissue resilience in place.

If you use equipment like a bike, it is worth making sure it is also in good shape to be used - getting equipment serviced will ensure it is safe to start using again.

How long should I be doing this for?

Sometimes, there is nothing more useful than doing what you want to do as no amount of hops, calf raises, step ups or lunges can properly replicate doing a 5k run. Start with a sensible distance compared to what your previous levels were and break it up if you need to. After more than a month off you'll need to rebuild gradually so keep expectations low in the early stages, just get used to doing what you want to do again and enjoy it for what it is without pushing it.

Give yourself a few weeks to build back up steadily and factor in rest days too. You might feel as if you're not doing much but your body needs time to recover from the changes in exertion. If you need some help apps like Couch To 5k can offer some guidance on how to build up to a goal.

Does this mean nothing will hurt?! Yay!!!!

No, not necessarily, but it'll give you a good chance of being less affected by pain. There will likely be some discomfort when restarting, but the important consideration is differentiating what you might expect to be a normal response to returning to activity from something that might require a little more attention. Some of these are quite obvious (e.g. a sudden twang whilst exercising) or may only come to light over a couple of days after restarting exercise. In the main, providing you are sensible in what to expect on your return and expectations going forward, there is no need to resist - it's time to get back out there!


Our top tips for getting back to it:

1. Plan your return, don't just leap in back to last season's training levels.

2. Build some strength and conditioning training suited to your discipline into your weekly routine.

3. Start gently with low volume and come back steadily. The Couch to 5k app is great for new and returning runners.

4. Check all your sports kit and have it serviced / maintained as needed.

5. Rest and recovery is as important as actually doing your sport so incorporate recovery days into your training schedule.
   

And as always, if you have any persistent niggles, aches or pains don't soldier on in silence making them worse. Get in touch with us if you need us.

Words by Paul Martin and NoviceRunnerNik.

What does my physio think about stretching?

What does my physio think about stretching?

Do you ever wonder what your physio thinks about your favourite forms of exercise or whether your health or lifestyle choices are a good idea? In the second of a series of blog posts entitled “What Does My Physio Think…?” we’ve asked our physios what they think about stretching.

Is stretching beneficial? Should I stretch before and/or after exercise? Dynamic or static stretches? Do you stretch? How and when?

Emily, our soft tissue therapist, triathlon coach, athlete personal trainer, says: 

“In the sports world especially for team sports and cardiovascular based sports such as running, the current (it keeps changing) recommendation is dynamic stretches before exercise and static after.

As a coach and athlete, I’ve found that it depends on your sports and how you feel on the day. If you feel particularly tight at the start line, dynamic stretching may cause you to pull a muscle, so some gentle static stretches after mobilising to increase your range of movement could show good results. In general, warm up gently first before stretching.  Muscles are like Plasticine, malleable when warm, not so much when cold!”

Stuart, our specialist knee and foot & ankle physio says:

“Stretching is beneficial for maintaining or achieving normal functional ranges of motion and reducing post exercise stiffness / tightness. I generally stretch before exercise with dynamic movements then post exercise, I undertake static stretching, depending on my objectives. So pre-exercise I warm up and perform a range of dynamic stretches for 10 minutes before running. Afterwards I will spend 5-10 mins targeting tight muscle groups and stretching for 20-30 secs per time.”

Physio Paul, who specialises in sports injuries, comments

“Stretching is beneficial - pre-exercise a static stretch tends to be a good diagnostic to understand what areas you might need to warm up before starting sport - warm up should be a progressive process to commencing sport. Think of it as if you’re taking your car up through its gears - you want to be in top gear as you start, but you're better off going through each level to get there. Static stretching post-exercise is more beneficial than pre-exercise and should be the end of an active warm-down process (like the warm up in reverse).”

Pandemic Lessons Learned - Dealing With Uncertainty

Pandemic Lessons Learned - Dealing With Uncertainty

Dear all, I hope that you are safe and well and I think it is just about ok to still wish you a very Happy New Year! 

In June I wrote a blog post with the title “Looking after our mental health in challenging times”. At that point it looked like we might be nearing an end to the pandemic or at least there was some movement in the right direction. Six months later we find ourselves in a national lockdown and it is almost a year from when this first started.  

There is no denying it, this has certainly been a challenging time for a lot of people. Work adjustments, parenting challenges, relationship dynamics changing, social life alterations, sport and exercise modifications and so much more has meant we have had to adapt in the most unexpected of ways. When something is also out of our hands and the changes are enforced upon us, it can seem more challenging as the locus of control is external rather than internal.  

For today's blog post I thought it would be useful to discuss some of the lessons learnt and how we can approach the current situation to best manage life around us. Here are 3 main lessons we can learn:

Lesson 1- Control The Controllables

 “ You cannot control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” Wayne Dyer.

 In life we have a choice to make which although can seem reductionist and too binary, it can serve to let us control how we see life events happening. One is to see them as happening TO us and the other is to see them as happening FOR us. The former places us in a path of accepting that the events which occur which are not initially perceived as positive are almost there as a form of punishment. We demonise the event and see only the struggles we have faced and what we have lost. The latter mindset gives us a sense of opportunity and curiosity. No one can control this virus 100%. Our attempts with all the measures in place , vaccines, lockdowns etc serve to maintain, reduce and hopefully bring closer and end to it. But,  the virus is way more powerful than we are and will live it life as it sees fit. 

We can accept the situation as it is and learn to find elements in our life which we can take more control of,  or we can waste time and energy on gathering even more information, reading more news, hypothesising as to what may or may not happen with the virus. What becomes of the latter? There are thousands of people out there whose job it is to do this, the scientists, doctors and researchers who are paid to spend their time doing this. And yet we get drawn into joining them to feel some level of control over the situation when in reality, not even the experts have the answer.

If we spent more time focusing on what we could control we would undoubtedly have less anxiety, less fear, more time for ourselves, more energy to pursue meaningful endeavours which would serve our own personal development and overall health and wellbeing. Sure, we need to know the basics and what big changes have happened, but other than that, could it be that the time spent mulling over the uncontrollable could be better spent controlling our inside world?

Lesson 2 - Adaptation Not Abolition

“The key to success is often the ability to adapt.” - Confucius.

When something gets taken away from us or becomes more of a challenge we can approach the situation with 2 points, fixed or growth. The fixed mindset can tell us things like: 

• Well that's it, I can't do that anymore so I’ll stop completely until this is all over.

• If I can’t do it like I did before then I’ll just stop it altogether.

• I’m all or nothing so I’ll wait until I can give it my all again.

• It’s pointless just doing a little, the benefits won’t be enough.

I have heard similar principles being said over that least few months. People who, for example used the gym regularly, altogether stop as it’s not accessible. Or people who have less time now to dedicate to their rehab stop. It is our job as clinicians to help you find ways where you can adapt and not abolish all the things you used to do. There has to be a level of acceptance of the status quo and a willingness to adapt in spite of it. Having the above mindset allows you to have ready made excuses as to why you can’t continue doing at least some of the things you did. A growth mindset has the following dialogue:  

• Ok. This has happened, what is possible for me instead?

• I can’t do that anymore, but what could I do?

• Even a small step is bigger than no step at all.

• The skills I learn now could improve my old skill when I get back to doing that.

Let’s take playing tennis as an example, which has at times not been possible. If you were to take all the components of playing tennis down, what could you still work on and perhaps even improve? Perhaps you know that your footwork isn't the best at times. Buy a speed and agility ladder and work on that for a few months, that would no end help your game! Perhaps you've had that niggly shoulder whilst serving that you can't shake. Spend some time working on the strength and stability of that shoulder to allow you better performance when you're back.

 If you dig a little deeper into things, the space and time we have been given can serve as a powerful vehicle to allow you to upskill. It sounds so basic but I often say to patients “Ok, so you can't spend an hour in the gym anymore, can you spend 15 minutes doing a HIIT class?” They often respond with “Well what will that do?”. “ More than doing 0 minutes will” I say. In times such as these, sometimes we have to appreciate that maintaining and ticking over is just fine and that is way more conducive to just stopping.

Lesson 3 - Finite vs Infinite 

“The infinite is in the finite of every moment.” - Zen proverb.

Life can be divided into things which are finite and infinite. Films, sports, a working day, a song, a train journey, a holiday, all these things have a start and an endpoint. It’s easy to conceptualise this and place ourselves in that time frame. What you notice about these things is that they are just that, they are things or events. What isn’t finite in life is our emotions, our development, our intellect, our wisdom, our growth and our experiences of life. It’s very easy to approach this pandemic and more specifically the virus itself as a finite thing. Whilst at some point, yes, Covid-19 will cease to exist, there will not be an end to viruses as a whole for now, or at least perhaps ever, in the life existence as we know it.

 I feel that at the moment so many people are placing such emphasis on dates, numbers, restriction changes to this that they approach it with an end in mind. Like other things in life, if we lead with expectation over appreciation of agreements then this can set us up for disappointment. If our expectations are met (let's say the news aligns with what we hoped for), we gain a momentary sense of relief and some level of freedom may come with it. But what next? Do we then start to set higher expectations? What if they aren't met? What if there is a u-turn like there has been so many times? Do we then continually just ride this rollercoaster of emotions ranging from elation to stress and worry? What actually changes?

 Something which can help in these situations is to actually place yourself way ahead in the future, several years even. Think about a conversation you might be having with someone who either lived through this or perhaps didn't, a niece or nephew or a grandchild.  Hopefully that conversation could go along the lines of “Remember that time when everything was really weird and we had to wear masks and everything was shut, how strange was that? But here we are, still living life.”

 This, like many things, will be a memory in years to come. It will have its place in history like other events. Check in with what is present to you and how the moments you have during this time are approached with a sense of openness and optimism. Ask yourself this one power question to keep present and focused: “How can I approach today different or better than I did yesterday and how will that keep me focused on the infinite approach to feeling and experiencing a different appreciation for the now?”

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Alex. 

Alex is a physiotherapist with Physio Remedies and also a Life Coach. He works with people to gain greater awareness in any aspect of their life they may be struggling with by allowing them to explore what might be possible with more clarity in their goals and ambitions. Ultimately he aims to provide opportunities to people to lead a more fulfilled and extraordinary life by unlocking their fullest potential. You can get in touch with him at alex@alexmanoscoaching.com and follow him on Instagram at @alexmanoscoaching.

Winterise your exercise!

Winterise your exercise! 

Covid-19 Lockdown or restrictions might have encouraged you to seek more of your exercise outdoors or to cycle to work. As winter draws in there’s no reason, with the right preparation and kit, why that can’t continue.

Emily, our massage therapist and resident triathlon coach, has given us her top tips to beat the dark, cold and wet on your rides, runs and rambles:

Ride!

Remember: There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather

When it comes to winter exercising, the adage comes to mind that “there's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”.

Don’t let the historic rainfall earlier in October put you off. With the right preparation, commuting by bike can still be enjoyable regardless of weather. 

The benefit of cycling-specific coats is that many offer more breathable fabric and vents, as well as sufficient pockets!

Clothing

As the temperature drops, layering becomes key. Merino wool works well across varying temperatures.

Waterproofs are best kept for rainy weather as they can become too hot once you get going and work up a sweat.

Good gloves and socks and/or shoe covers can ensure the cold and wet weather doesn’t prevail. I usually opt for neoprene gloves and socks for the rainiest days.

There are also good options to keep your head warm and dry including when wearing a helmet. 

Be seen

It’s important to be seen by other road users, so bright and reflective clothing is a must, and can be complemented by reflective details on your bike, such as spokes, stickers and saddle bags. 

Be seen!

White lights at the front and red lights at rear should be used day and night as the days become shorter and darker. USB lights need charging every few days but mean there’s no need for endless supplies of AAA batteries. 

Be comfortable and confident

For confidence and comfort, wider tyres with more tread work well in winter and can protect you from the pitfalls of potholes and punctures, whilst mudguards can reduce the splash of puddles. 

Less seasoned and confident riders can take advantage of cycle routes, many of which include quieter streets, and dedicated cycle lanes so as to avoid much traffic. It’s worth plotting a quiet commuter-friendly route in advance. Apps like Komoot or OS Maps are good for that. 

Give it a try

If you’re unsure winter commuting is for you and don’t want to break the bank, places like www.sportpursuit.com and www.decathlon.co.uk are good options for gear and equipment. 

And check out Emily’s blog post about looking after your bike and yourself.

Run or walk!

Not into cycling? Head out for a brisk (temperature or pace) walk, jog, run or a mixture! While there are no races, it’s good to take your eyes off the Garmin, enjoy the scenery and some fresh air.

The same tips as above apply:

• Be safe - run or walk in safer areas, street lit areas, with someone if possible (and within Lockdown or local restriction rules) and tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be home. Use the privacy option on your GPS app of choice so it’s not clear to others where you start and finish your exercise.

• Be seen - wear hi-vis and reflective clothing. Use a good head torch with a front and back light if you’re running or walking in darker areas.

• Choose clothing carefully - make sure your clothing is suitable for the weather but also for the amount of exertion you will do. You’re likely to get quite hot when you run so start out with a couple of layers, gloves and a buff-type stretchy tube on your head if it’s chilly, all of which you can easily stow or tie round your waist as you get warm.

Stay indoors!

This is also a good time to do things that you haven’t had time to do previously: stretching, core strengthening, activating your Glutes. Emily is running three virtual classes a week to cover all the above. All you have have to do is roll out of bed and log on. (Pyjamas and coffee welcome!). 

Words and images by Emily Chong.

NoviceRunnerNik's Top Tips on Starting Running - Revisited

NOVICERUNNERNIK'S TOP TIPS ON STARTING RUNNING - REVISITED

Has the recent London Marathon inspired you to take up running or return to running? Are you looking to run as a way of exercising your way through Covid-19 restrictions or lockdown?

Our NoviceRunnerNik, who has actually been a runner for the last ten years or so now (time for a new nickname?), has revised her top tips on getting started, first published in April 2019, to take into account current pandemic restrictions:

1. Start with a Couch 2 5K app or program such as the NHS Couch 2 5k – this introduces you slowly to running over 9 weeks and gradually builds up your fitness and stamina. Much more sensible than my approach of just going for a 3 mile hilly run just like that and hating the feeling of my lungs exploding out of my chest! I very nearly didn’t run again after trying that!

2. Be aware of those around you - remember to keep two metres away from anyone who isn’t in your household or support bubble and be careful stepping into the road to avoid people. The general public you may encounter might be even more anxious if they come across a runner than a walker, hopefully for obvious reasons. If you find your routes are very busy consider running at less busy times or changing where you run.

3. Run more slowly – particularly if it feels like your lungs are exploding out of your chest. If you can hold a conversation with someone (you might need to imagine that someone if you’re running alone) whilst you’re running, then that’s a great pace to run at. If you can’t, then slow down. You’ll enjoy it more - promise!

4. Buy decent, comfortable running shoes - if you can, have your running shoes fitted by a specialist running shop. Tell them your budget and what you want to do. They needn’t cost the earth. You’ll be less likely to pick up an injury wearing shoes that fit you and are fit for the job.

5. Don’t increase your longest distance or number of miles in a week too quickly, however much you’re enjoying it, or you risk overuse injury. An often quoted rule of thumb is to increase both by no more than 10% per week. Use a free phone app such as Strava to record your runs so that you know how far you’ve been.

6. Run your own run – don’t worry about what speed or distance someone else is doing. Run to how you feel, rather than a pace you think you should run at on your GPS watch or your running app.

7. Run with other people, within local pandemic restrictions – join a running club or run walk group (when they are operating). Or find a friend to run with. Running with others takes your mind off the running and motivates you to turn up and run. Running clubs will have varying routes with leaders so that you don’t even have to think about where to run. In my experience running club members are really friendly and approachable. They aren’t all elite athletes racing for TeamGB (some of my running club members do run for TeamGB but you wouldn’t know it!). And you always have running to talk about.

8. Buy some proper running clothes - you’ll be more comfortable and you’ll feel the part more and be more motivated to run. You don’t need to spend a fortune. Always wear a decent, supportive sports bra or chest support if you need it. They're vital bits of kit, especially if a few extra grams are being carried in that part of the anatomy.

9. Vary the routes and surfaces you run on – to keep you interested and to get your body moving in different ways - try footpaths, coast paths, grass, mud etc but be careful.

10. If / When parkrun is back, get parkrunning! parkruns are currently paused due to the pandemic but if you haven’t heard of parkruns they are free, timed weekly 5k runs, happening all over the country, every Saturday at 9am. You can walk, jog or run them so they are perfect for new runners and they are great for measuring your progress, if you wish. They only happen because people volunteer to organise and marshal at them so give something back now and again and volunteer too.

11. Running can be really addictive! Don’t blame me if your running habit starts to escalate out of your control!

Stay safe!

Words by NoviceRunnerNik.