Flexibility is fundamental for everyday life.

In fact, it’s so important that we often don’t think about it until something goes wrong and we start to miss it. Without flexibility we wouldn’t be able to perform everyday tasks, like bending over to pick something up, or sitting down in a chair. Flexibility also enables us to release built up tension or soreness in our muscles and helps us to relax – with too much tension or soreness, it’s going to be hard to get any rest!

What is flexibility fitness?

Flexibility can broadly be defined as the ability of your muscles and the connective tissues surrounding them to temporarily stretch. Flexibility is one of the four pillars of physical fitness and it works alongside the others to help us maximize the overall health benefits of physical exercise. Greater flexibility allows us to work on strength and endurance fitness too, by enabling our muscles to complete their full range of motion.

Why is flexibility fitness important?         

There are many health benefits associated with being more flexible. Flexibility leads to a greater range of movement and improved balance, which reduces your chances of getting injured during a movement workout.¹ Other benefits of increased flexibility include:

Pain reduction

Lengthening and opening your muscles makes your body feel less tense and generally feels easier to move. When your muscles feel looser and are not as tight, you won’t feel as many aches or pains and will be less likely to experience muscle cramps.

Better posture and balance

Good posture and balance make it easier to sit, stand and move. Improving your flexibility fitness, which you can do through activities like yoga, has been shown in studies to increase your muscular flexibility and improve posture and balance.²

Greater sense of wellbeing

Movement workouts that focus on flexibility are generally quite slow and gentle on the body and studies have shown that regularly practicing poses that open up and stretch your body can bring about a greater sense of relaxation and wellbeing.³

Better physical performance

Strong and effective muscles are important for strength and endurance training too. Improving your flexibility will help these other aspects of your fitness as your muscles will be able to work more effectively.

Different types of flexibility fitness

The best way to improve your overall flexibility is to combine three types of flexibility exercises – breath work, static stretching and dynamic stretching:

Breath work

Being able to breathe properly is an important element of all types of fitness, particularly stretching and flexibility fitness. By breathing properly, you will be better able to fill your lungs and won’t have to expend as much energy to continue exercising.

Diaphragmatic breathing helps you to engage and strengthen your diaphragm and core muscles and can be practiced in a few simple steps:

1. Stand in a comfortable position or sit in a chair, placing your hands on your ribcage
2. Fill your lungs with air by inhaling through your nose – you should feel your rib cage expanding
3. Slowly exhale through your mouth, at the same time, engaging your core as you do so

Static stretches

Static stretching involves entering a stretch that you then hold without moving for a set period of time. This helps your muscles warm up slowly, reducing the risk of injury. You should push yourself to the point of tension when you will feel a light stretch, but no pain or tension.

Dynamic stretches

Dynamic stretching is a different kind of stretch that involves movement. Unlike static stretching, a dynamic stretch involves putting your muscles through a full range of motion. An example of this would be ‘high knees’ where you lift one foot off the ground, then the other, in a swift movement that gets blood flowing throughout your muscles and helps to stretch your glutes, hips, and knee joints.

Taking steps to become more flexible can be a great way to connect to yourself and your body. You’re likely to feel more balanced and better overall once your body is more open, strong, and flexible.

1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Duane-Knudson/publication/240184136_Warm-up_and_flexibility/links/0046353b54ce3432ef000000/Warm-up-and-flexibility.pdf [↩]
2. https://www.ijoy.org.in/article.asp?issn=0973-6131;year=2016;volume=9;issue=1;spage=27;epage=34;aulast=Polsgrove [↩]
3. https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6646/benefits-of-flexibility/ [↩]

While we’ll be joining him on his journey from today, we wanted to know all about how he got here…from where he started, the wins, the falls, and the motivation!

About James Ellington

• Sport: Men’s Athletics – British sprinter
• Event: 100 m and 200 m
• Club: Newham and Essex Beagles

The Wins:

• Two-time Olympian (2012, 2016)
• Two-time Gold medalist at the European Athletics Championships (2014, 2016)
• Silver medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
• Two-time champion at British Athletics Championships (2012, 2013)
• National titles winner from a young age – under 15, under 17 and under 20
• Finalist of 100 m at World Junior Championships in 2004
• Gold medalist in Junior European Championships

Turning the dream into reality…

James’ aspiration to become an athlete began at the very young age of three years. He describes himself as hard-headed and it’s this personality trait that meant he always knew what he wanted. At the age of 13, he watched athletics on the TV and knew then that he wanted to take his love of sport to a professional level. Despite everyone around him telling him that being a professional athlete wasn’t a safe career choice, he continued to dream by pushing for his goals and promising himself to never lose the child within.

This mentality has been proven through the heroic journey James has been through to get to where he is today. A journey always has its ups and downs but what James has experienced is unique and it makes his path to success an inspiration to many.

Read his interview below to discover all about the journey he’s been on to turn his dream into a reality.

Get to know James Ellington…

• What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?

My biggest challenge has got to be the horrific motorcycle crash I experienced in 2017 which left me with a fractured tibia, fibula and pelvis, placing my career in athletics in complete jeopardy. It’s been a long journey of recovery but I’m proud to be back to where I wanted to be. I’ve had many setbacks in my career but now looking back, I felt I had to overcome those barriers to prepare me for the biggest setback of all, which was the crash. They’ve all contributed to developing my mental strength and resilience for any obstacles that come my way.

It’s been an incredibly tough journey but my mindset played a big part in getting me through. Throughout I kept believing in my childhood dream and persevered by keeping things simple and not overcomplicating things, putting too much pressure on myself and getting thrown off track. I took one step at a time and I’ve always said, if I can walk, I can run, and if I can run, I can sprint—and here I am today, back in training for my next big milestone.

• How has it shaped you?

Fundamentally I still have the same drive and motivation that I’ve always had. The only thing that has changed is that I try to enjoy more of the here and now. As an athlete, you can often get caught up going from one competition to another and forget to take everything in. I try to focus more on living in the moment and celebrating achievements. This doesn’t have to be anything big, simply taking some time to mentally pause in the present and praise myself can be enough.

• Who is your real-life hero?

This is a tough one. I’ve always admired people for their achievements and I like to see everyone as human. If someone else can achieve something, so can I. Anything can be possible. As a child, Linford Christie was the person I saw winning on TV so I always looked up to him. It’s crazy how things turn out as I ended up being coached by him. Tyson Fury is someone else I admire for everything he went through.

• What is your mantra?

Be yourself and have integrity in everything you do. I like to think that, with me, what you see is what you get. I’m exactly the same behind the camera as I am in front and I think it’s important to show who you are.

• What are you most proud of?

Sticking to my word throughout my career and achieving everything I said I was going to achieve— even when everyone thought I was crazy and my career was over. If I put my mind to something, it will happen. Manifestation is key.

• What are your goals for 2021?

Before, my main goals were to get back running and compete again—and I’ve now achieved that! Now my goals are to make the Olympics team for 2021, and if I perform to the best of my ability, I believe I can win too. It will be tough but I believe in myself.

• How has your training changed in preparation for selection?

My training has changed to focus more on quality rather than quantity. Instead of training more for the sake of it and risking injury, I’m training more efficiently and making sure every session has a purpose. Nutrition is also a big part of my training. Focusing on the right nutrition is something I always knew was important and continues to support me in both my recovery and training.

• What does your training schedule look like?

I’ve gone from training six days a week to four days a week. Mondays and Wednesdays are the intense days with a track session, followed by a gym session. Thursdays revolve around easy recovery circuits and stretching. Then Saturday is another track session. It’s more intense as it was less compact doing six days a week but now, I factor in more time for recovery time as it’s key to support my performance.

• What do you do when you’re not training or competing?

Music, exploring the outdoors (when not in lockdown) and cars are some of my favorite things. It may come as a surprise to you that I actually love music from Hans Zimmer. I always listen to music while I’m training. I tend to listen to more up-tempo music, like Deep Tech House and Old School Garage, to motivate me while I’m training. And if I’m gearing up for a competition, I start off with some of Hans Zimmer’s music and then build it up to some drum and bass. Music is powerful!

• How do you give back?

I’m always looking for opportunities to give back—whether it’s getting into schools to speak to kids or giving out any boxes of kit. In the past, I worked with Met-Track Athletics to coach troubled kids from my local area. Although the main aim was to coach them in athletics, I took the opportunity to also offer some mental support.

• What are your goals beyond Tokyo?

Next year will either be the European or World Championships. Whatever happens with the Olympics, as long as I’m physically able to, I won’t stop competing. I will go as far as my body will take me.

• What makes you, as a high performing athlete, tick?

I focus all my energy on things I’m passionate about and make sure I don’t get distracted too far from that. A way to distinguish a high-level performer is easier to be seen when things get tough. You do see a lot of people crumble at the first hurdle. For me, when things get hard, there’s something in my brain that switches and drives me to carry on. And that’s why my mental attitude has helped me overcome my biggest challenges over the years.

• What does high performance culture mean for you?

I’m tough on myself but I’m also realistic with my goals. A lot of people think I’m crazy when I say my goals out loud but they’re starting to believe me now. If I ever stop running, I know I will direct the same amount of energy into something else, whatever that may be.

• How do you keep the team spirit going in athletics?

At the moment I have four or five training partners and throughout our sessions, we support each other by pushing each other through. Team work even in a single sport is so important.

• And lastly, what is your advice for those starting out?

Forget things fast—it’s important to have a short-term memory when it comes to athletics. You can’t win all the time. I’ve taken many losses throughout my career and if I held on to them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Don’t let them define you!

Join us in following his journey!

We’ll be following James’ next steps as he prepares for his next big challenge of qualifying at the national level on his way to reach the Olympics 2021. If you want to find out how important nutritional supplements are in his regime and how he’s worked on his mental strength to get him where he wanted to be throughout his career, keep an eye out on our Wellness Center for new articles. You can also keep updated on our social media channels to see how he’s getting on and what else may come from this new partnership with Lifeplus. The opportunities are endless!

An active life needs a solid backbone…

When we think about staying active, we normally envision walking, running, cycling…using our arms and legs to get the heart pumping.

We think less often about the foundation of all our movement – the unsung hero that is our back. Barely any of us pay attention to it, except when something goes wrong. But in truth, understanding just how many our backs affect our fitness can have a really positive impact on how active you can be.¹

The Facts

If your muscles, joints and flexibility are like an orchestra, think of your back as a conductor! Your spinal column provides essential postural support to all other body parts, while at the same time enabling you to move in many different directions. It’s made up of 33 bones (vertebrae) with discs that act as shock absorbers in between.
The vertebrae in your neck differ from the vertebrae in your lower spine. The lower vertebrae are much bigger and stronger as they support almost your whole upper body, while your neck vertebrae just provide support to your head. Interestingly, it is the shape of the vertebrae that determines the directions you can move in. That’s why your neck moves much more freely than your lower spine.

The chain of vertebrae and discs are supported by numerous muscles, tendons and ligaments. These provide strength and stability. The muscles are connected to your bones with tendons. When a muscle contracts, the forces are passed onto the skeletal system via the tendons. This ensures that a muscle contraction results in a movement to a particular body part. The ligaments not only provide stability to our joints, they are also flexible and can stretch or contract whenever joints move.
As you can see, this “conductor” has to manage a very delicate and interconnected symphony. Without this, we wouldn’t be able to move at all, let alone get active.
Taking care of the foundations.

Most people have experienced pain in their lower, middle or upper back. Back pain is a part of life, and for some more than others. From a minor twinge to pain that can really limit your lifestyle, it pays to understand the causes – and what we can do to avoid them.²

In fact, few cases of back pain are the result of a serious accident or injury. The vast majority are simply caused by the accumulative effects of our lifestyles. Daily habits such as hunching to read your mobile phone screen or slouching in front of the computer can place strain on your spine and the surrounding muscles. When we keep repeating the same bad habits, this can leave us vulnerable to back injury. Yet there’s plenty we can do to avoid the common back pain triggers with a little know-how.

Sitting still – sitting hunched over a computer all day is one of the worst things you can do for your back. This is all down to inactivity which impacts your body by weakening your joints and spine.

Try this: get up and walk around for two minutes, at least once an hour. You can also improve your posture while you’re sitting down by aiming for a neutral spine position where everything is in line.

“The Smartphone Stare” – the head-down position we use when looking at phones and laptops strains the muscles in the neck. This can extend all the way down to your spine and lower back.³

Try this: make sure you take frequent screen breaks and try looking straight ahead rather that down at your screen.

Stress – when we’re feeling under pressure this causes our back muscles to tense up. Stress also causes your levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) to soar. This leads to inflammation in the body, making the problem worse.

Try this: the latest research shows that gentle exercise such as walking or yoga, is very effective at relieving back pain. Getting outdoors has also been proven to reduce stress levels. Just a 15-minute daily stroll will make a difference.

Sneezing – did you know sneezing is one of the top five causes of back pain? A sneeze’s speed of release can be up to 100 miles per hour and thanks to its sheer force, we can experience a whiplash effect, causing both back and neck pain.

Try this: when you feel a sneeze coming on, bend your knees to absorb the force in your lower legs instead of your spine. Alternatively, if you’re able to (depending on where you are when a sneeze strikes), turn your whole body when you’re about to sneeze to keep your back straight.

Smoking – one of the key elements of how the structures in your body function is blood flow, which provides oxygen and nutrients. Researchers have found smoking damages tissue in the lower back as a result of the reduced flow of nutrients to joints and muscles.

Try this: Stopping smoking is of course a challenge, but can be accomplished with support. Talk to your your doctor or nurse practitioner about enrolling in a “stop smoking” clinic. There’s also a range of options to help you cut back such as e-cigarettes, nicotine patches and gum, plus other medications.

Stretching – It’s not enough to just stretch your arms when you wake up. Your back needs a good stretch too to keep it both strong and flexible.

Try this: when stretching your back, it’s important to move in six different directions. This includes flexing forwards, backwards, rotating to the right and left and moving sideways right and left. You can do this sitting, lying or standing – the choice is yours. For more information on stretching exercises, take a look at our piece on the benefits of stretching.

Any one – or all – of these practices will go a long way to helping ensure that this most overlooked, yet pivotal part of our bodies remains in balance, strong – and able to provide the essential foundation we need for an active and happy life.

1. https://mayfieldclinic.com/pe-anatspine.htm [↩]
2. https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics [↩]
3. https://www.spine-health.com/blog/modern-spine-ailment-text-neck [↩]

How Pilates can help your body and mind

Pilates has become more and more popular in recent years. The benefits from doing Pilates are becoming better known and it’s now a form of exercise not only popular with dancers or people who also like yoga but rather a sport for anyone wanting to get to know their body better and build up their physical fitness, as well as inner strength.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is named after its creator, Joseph Pilates, who developed the exercises in the 1920s with the aim to build strength in the core muscles for better posture, balance, and flexibility.¹ It consists of different moves than yoga, but is often likened to it. Perhaps due to the focus on the core and the fact that both disciplines also put an emphasis on controlled breathing. The  principles of Pilates are built on the health benefits of centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow.

What is the difference between Pilates and yoga?

As we’ve already seen, Pilates and yoga do have certain elements in common. They each aim to develop strength, balance, flexibility, posture, and good breathing technique. The connection between physical and mental health is the center of both practices.

That being said, they also have some distinct differences. Yoga includes meditation and features static poses – neither of which are used in Pilates, which focuses on the flow of movement, rather than holding static poses. Yoga also requires no equipment other than a mat. Pilates can be performed on a mat only, but it’s more common to use additional equipment, such as a ring, ball, bands or reformer.

A study conducted to investigate and compare the effects of Pilates and yoga² confirmed that both disciplines showed benefits on physical as well as mental health through the improvement of posture, flexibility, muscle tone, and stress reduction – although Pilates did show the greatest improvement. The study was formed of ninety volunteers – females and males, healthy and without any disease or physical limitation, between the ages 30 and 40. They were split into three groups doing Pilates, yoga, and no exercise at all. After eight weeks, in which the participants exercised for one hour three times per week, the study revealed that the group practicing Pilates showed the greatest improvements in functional movement and individual health level.

A further study on elderly women (65+ years) showed that age is not a barrier to increasing your physical abilities by doing Pilates³ and that improvement of dynamic balance, reaction time and muscle strength could all be attributed to Pilates’ exercises. The study also claimed that increasing these fitness parameters through Pilates exercises may reduce the number of falls in elderly women.

Is Pilates for me?

Are you considering joining a Pilates class or practicing Pilates at home? Everyone can benefit from Pilates, since it is suitable for all ages and fitness levels and the exercises can be tailored to individual needs. There are different classes and experience levels of Pilates – from gentle and slow for beginners to a more dynamic, or solid workout. We would encourage you to give it a go, but always recommend people with a health condition to talk to their doctor or instructor first.

Do I need equipment for Pilates?

There are two types of Pilates: mat-based and equipment-based Pilates, but many exercises can be done on the floor with a mat only. It might be worth trying out both types to see which you prefer – you could try mat-based Pilates with a free workout video for staying active at home and equipment-based Pilates in a class with an instructor, for example. There’s another specialist type of Pilates, called reformer Pilates. This is done on a large bed-like frame with a flat platform on it, which rolls back and forth on wheels within the frame and is attached to one end of the reformer by a set of springs. It’s great for working out the entire body.

Health benefits of doing Pilates

There are many physical and mental health benefits associated with Pilates, which range from improved movement and posture through to a reduction in stress levels. These are explained in more depth below:

Improved core strength and stability

A study by The Mayo Clinic concluded that Pilates can increase the range of motion for the joints and help muscle control, strength, and endurance.⁴ It was deemed an excellent choice for all ages and levels of fitness as it can be adapted to provide a gentle strength training and stability program, or modified to give a more experienced athlete a more challenging workout.

Improved posture, balance and flexibility

In a further study by the Mayo Clinic,¹ Pilates was also shown to be an accessible way to build strength in your core muscles for better posture, balance and flexibility. According to findings published in the Muscle, Ligaments and Tendons Journal, Pilates practices proper posture and movement patterns.⁴ The findings discussed how current research indicates that there may be benefits to applying Pilates-based exercises in certain clinical populations and suggested that further documentation should be produced to demonstrate the application and success of Pilates in a wider variety of training and rehabilitation settings. 

Prevention and treatment of back pain

The prevention and treatment of lower back pain is an additional benefit of practicing Pilates as it utilizes the principles of various accepted rehabilitation methods that have scientific support for low back pain, including core strengthening.7

Stress reduction

As well as the physical benefits, Pilates can be beneficial for mental health as well⁵ with practitioners saying that regular Pilates can improve posture, muscle tone, balance and joint mobility, as well as relieve stress and tension. 

Benefit from Pilates

Pilates is an excellent option for men and women of all ages and fitness level, to improve balance, posture and flexibility, as well as to reduce stress levels and improve mental wellbeing. It can be done within your own home, or with the assistance of a class-based Pilates teacher, so why not give it a go?

1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/pilates-for-beginners/art-20047673 [↩] [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6732550/ [↩]
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737905/ [↩]
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666467/ [↩] [↩]
5. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/guide-to-pilates/ [↩]

Why gardening is good for you and how to reap its rewards

Some people love gardening and view it as an enjoyable hobby. Others see it as a necessary chore. Whatever your viewpoint though, part-time or avid gardeners will be pleased to know that gardening and wellbeing are very closely related! Whether it’s by presenting the opportunity of escaping the white, grey and darkness of winter or the enjoyment at watching seeds and bulbs that you’ve planted burst into life in the spring, gardening has a number of benefits that you might have previously taken for granted, or perhaps not even realized.

Gardening is more than a hobby reserved to retirees, pensioners, and grandmothers; it has caught on with younger adults and a growing number of school-based programs are expanding into gardening and the benefits it carries. Popular smart phone apps such as Plant Snap, blogs like You Grow Girl, and viral hashtags like #citygarden and #growyourfood are encouraging younger adults to get their hands in the dirt, and as gardening and wellbeing go hand-in-hand, this can only be a good thing!

Gardening for mental health

Gardening is good for your physical, mental and social health—and science proves this is true!

A meta-analysis highlighted the benefits of gardening to include reductions in feelings of anxiety and depression. People who gardened had lower body mass indexes (BMI), which is the gold standard of healthy weight analysis. Gardeners saw increased overall life satisfaction, improved quality of life and a deeper sense of community.¹

Aside from brain health, gardening contributes to improved mental health. It helps combat stress and has even been shown to be more relaxing than reading or other hobbies. It also brings aesthetic beauty to a space. When our homes, neighborhoods and cities are beautiful, it affects our quality of life.

Cognitive and brain health improvements are just one of the benefits that gardeners see though. Researchers in Australia followed nearly 3,000 seniors over 60 years old for the duration of 16 years in order to better understand what lifestyle factors contributed to the onset or avoidance of dementia. Daily gardening was among the more notable protective factors for participants.²

Benefitting the environment

Gardening or ‘growing your own’ contributes to better environmental ethos. The resources used in mass farming contribute to global environmental degradation. This also refers to those accompanied with the fuels utilized to transport food, the plastics for containers, the pesticides of questionable safety and the nutritional quality of produce picked unripe, shipped long distances and stored for much longer periods between picking and consuming than in generations past. They also contribute to fundamental changes in the nutritional content of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds and nuts. If you can offset some of that with even a kitchen window herb garden, you are helping the environment as well as your and your family’s nutritional foundation. And there is the added benefit of knowing where your food is coming from. It provides the comfort of knowing your farmer at a micro level.

The link between gardening and wellbeing

The lack of exposure to nature is of epidemic proportions in the developed world. Advocates for getting more “vitamin N” (the “n” stands for “nature”) name even going to small city parks as an important activity for getting outside—no need to take a long trek to a distant forest. Gardening is a small microcosm of the natural world and has the added element of interactivity. While a walk in the woods is wonderful for the senses of sight, smell, and sound, gardening adds the element of touch.

Another reason how gardening and wellbeing are linked is that it provides more exposure to vitamin D which helps boost your immunity and contributes to better mental health. In addition, non-insulated direct body contact with the earth connects us to the natural electromagnetic field of our planet which is very likely the best antidote to the “electro smog” of Wi-Fi, mobile phones and 5G, as well as the non-native EMF generated by our massive global electrical grid and the circuits that bring it into nearly everyone’s home.

Gardening as a form of exercise

It might not be the most obvious form of exercise but gardening still counts! While most sorts of gardening aren’t going to make you break a sweat the way a run or swim will, gardening can help keep you in shape by maintaining flexibility and agility.

Squatting down to pull weeds, bending over to plant a seed and twisting your torso to pile dirt around a plant are just some of the functional movements that planting promotes. You’ll be amazed how hungry you get after a few hours of gardening, which just goes to show how many calories it can burn!

1. Soga, Masashi, et al. “Gardening Is Beneficial for Health: A Meta-Analysis.” Preventive Medicine Reports, vol. 5, 2017, pp. 92–99. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.007. [↩]
2. Simons, Leon A, et al. “Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Dementia: Dubbo Study of the Elderly.” Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 184, no. 2, 2006, pp. 68–70. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006. tb00120.x. [↩]

Fitness is often thought of as a ‘one size fits all’ thing, whereby you are either fit, or you aren’t, but the science of fitness actually goes a lot deeper than that and demonstrates that there are a number of components that go into a person being physically fit.¹

The strongest, most musclebound person may have no flexibility for example, but does this mean they aren’t physically fit? Conversely, a petite gymnast might be able to touch their toes and perform a backbend, but they probably couldn’t lift the same weights as the person in the first example. Does this mean they are not physically fit? Total fitness is better defined by looking at how well your body performs under different types of scenario.

A holistic approach to fitness

Total fitness looks at different areas and can be broken down into components or parts to make it easier to understand. It also helps you to appreciate the different requirements of different sporting activities, and even the different requirements of different roles within that activity. On a football field for example, a goalkeeper will need to work on different areas of skill than a striker.

Health-related components of fitness

Health-related components of fitness are those that you need to work on in order to improve and can be broken down into the following areas:

Body composition. The division of your body into percentages of fat, muscle and bone will have a direct result on your fitness level. A high jumper for example, will have a lean body composition to enable them to propel themselves upwards, whereas a shotput thrower will need a more solid body composition to generate the strength to throw further.

Cardiorespiratory endurance. Certain sports will need a very high level of cardiorespiratory endurance. Long distance running for example, is dependent on your heart, lungs and blood having the ability to transport oxygen effectively for an extended period of time.

Flexibility. The range of motion that you can move your joints through is a measure of fitness and some sports will require this more than others. A gymnast for example needs to have more flexibility than a billiard player. 

Muscular endurance. This is the ability to continue your performance without your muscles becoming fatigued. A great example of a sport where this would be needed would be rowing, where rowers need to be able to continue the same repetitive movement for a long period of time.

Strength. Strength is a measure of how much force your muscles can exert when they come up against resistance. Wrestling, for example, requires more physical strength than something like badminton.

Skill-related components of fitness

Many sports require different levels of skill-related components of fitness. Gymnasts, for example, have been shown in studies to need high levels of speed, strength, endurance, agility, flexibility and power.² Skill-related components of fitness are those that can be improved with practice:

Accuracy. Controlling movement in a fixed direction is essential for certain sporting practices, like boxing, where your focus needs to be on a very specific area.

Agility. Be able to quickly change direction in a controlled way is important for certain sports, such as tennis and squash, and would be less important for something like sprinting.

Balance. The ability to control and stabilize the body is a requirement of many sports and is a good indication of fitness for someone like a sprinter, who would need to maintain perfect stillness until the gun sounds and then spring into action.

Coordination. When you are able to use two or more body parts at the same time to do different tasks you could be considered well-coordinated. An example would be dribbling a basketball, where your legs need to move you around and your hand needs to maintain contact while moving the ball.

Power. Power is a key indicator of fitness in sports such as javelin or discus throwing, where your performance is directly related on the distance your arms can throw, having applied great force to the tool while rapidly shifting your arm forward.

Speed. Speed is often used as a reflection of fitness in sports that require you to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, such as running.

Breaking down fitness into these components demonstrates that it is about more than just ‘who is the quickest’ or ‘who is the fastest.’ Fitness is unique to each individual and to each type of sport. The important thing is to use your own capabilities as a benchmark and not compare yourself to other people. Whatever your fitness level, based on any, or all of the 11 components, practice and perseverance can help you improve them all.

1. http://www.professorjohnthoday.com/downloads/Fitness.pdfhttp://www.professorjohnthoday.com/downloads/Fitness.pdf [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3325636/ [↩]

While it would be nice to have the same energy and ability to bounce back in our 40s, 50s and beyond, as we did in our teens and 20s, it’s sadly just not the case.

As we get older our bodies don’t respond to our regular movement workouts in the same way. Tiredness, aches and the potential of increased injuries are all greater. This doesn’t mean we should stop exercising though! If anything, the health benefits of physical exercise are more important than ever to keep us in good shape during the mid-to-latter years of our lives.

So, what should we do? Well, much of the same really, but with a few adaptations to help prevent against injuries and to keep our bodies supple and able to move freely still.

The importance of stretching

Stretching is important at any age, but as we get older, we naturally become less flexible so it becomes even more important. Studies have shown that stretching can vastly improve natural gait and movement in the elderly.¹ Whereas it might have been ok before to stretch a day or two each week, you should now be increasing the frequency of which you stretch. It doesn’t need to be onerous or time consuming though. Try getting in the habit of going through a short daily stretching routine as soon as you get out of bed in the morning and focus on moves that stretch your entire body.

Cool off cardio/ramp up resistance

Around the age of 50, muscle mass and bone density begin to drop so resistance training is crucial to keep them strong. Strength training helps offset the loss in muscle mass and strength typically associated with normal aging. Additional benefits from regular exercise have been proven in studies to include improved bone health and reduction in risk for osteoporosis; improved postural stability, reduced risk of falling and associated injuries and fractures; and increased flexibility and range of motion.² 

The good news though, is that you don’t need to become a gym bunny. If the thought of going to a gym fills you with terror, don’t worry. While weights are certainly an option, there are plenty of bodyweight exercises you can do in your own home too, which require no equipment. Squats, lunges, planks and leg raises are all good options.

Cool off doesn’t mean stop

Cardio still plays an important role if you are going to fully experience the health benefits of physical exercise. Cardio has been shown in studies³ to help in the fight against heart disease, which becomes more of a concern after the age of 50. Cardio also helps to increase lean muscle mass and, as muscle burns more calories than fat, this will help prevent too much weight gain as your metabolism naturally begins to slow as you age. If time is lacking, give interval training a go. This form of movement workout alternates bursts of high intensity exercise with short recovery periods and helps you burn calories even after you have finished exercising – thanks to what is known as the EPOC effect (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). Take a day off in between workouts to give your muscles a proper chance to recover. If you’re still sore after this time, listen to your body and increase your rest and recovery time further. Niggling aches and pains are often an indication that an injury might be brewing, but simply resting is often enough to prevent it turning into anything serious.

Rest is as important as movement

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the more you exercise, the greater the benefits will be, but rest periods are just as important as active periods and should form part of any movement workout program. As you age, you might find you need more time to rest and recover than you did when you were younger.

To truly experience the health benefits of physical exercise it’s important to stay fit and active whatever your age. There’s no magic number when you will suddenly reach a certain birthday and be told movement is now bad for you, but there is a trend in that you may find it getting more challenging and feel it taking longer for you to recover with each year that passes. If in doubt, always listen to your body. If you are sore, it may be that you have done too much, too soon. If you are exhausted for days after exercising, it’s almost certain you need to slow down. Whatever age you are now though, the earlier you start exercising, the easier you are likely to find it as you age.

1. https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/235863 [↩]
2. https://experts.illinois.edu/en/publications/exercise-and-physical-activity-for-older-adults [↩]
3. https://europepmc.org/article/med/7934752 [↩]

When it comes to how often one should exercise, the answer is often subjective.

Generally, the recommendation is thirty minutes of exercise daily for five days a week. But when it comes to Pilates specifically, what’s the right amount to practice?

How often should you do Pilates?

The creator of Pilates himself, Joseph Pilates, recommended that those interested in Pilates practice it at least three times per week. However, if you’re getting exercise in other ways, it may be worth it to trim the amount of time spent in Pilates classes down to one class weekly.

Pilates is often used as a type of physical therapy. The impact it can have on the body is huge; regular practice can improve balance, flexibility, and mobility. Just that one class per week can result in enhanced recovery from injuries and your body relearning how to move correctly, preventing further injuries. Therefore, it might be wise to consider participating in Pilates regularly, even if you get the majority of your exercise from morning runs or evening strength-training sessions.

If you go beyond that and want to take your Pilates practice further, performing the core Pilates exercises twice or three times per week will help you see bigger chances in your strength, stability, flexibility, and mobility. With this level of dedicated practice, you may start to see a difference in the way you sit, walk, and carry yourself. Your posture and mobility will begin to improve, and you may even notice better mental concentration and control.

What about rest days?

Pilates is a low impact exercise, so the amount of rest and recovery needed between sessions is relatively low. So, if you want to participate in Pilates classes a few days in a row, worry not. In fact, Pilates is so gentle (and so beneficial) that it’s even okay to practice Pilates on your rest days from other exercises. Just be aware that even the smooth movements of Pilates can cause micro-damage to muscles, requiring time to refresh them and build them back up.

Many practitioners of Pilates find it to be more than a workout.

In lots of cases, Pilates is a lifestyle. The benefits that come with practicing its exercises are incomparable, especially as a regimen you can teach and train yourself to master.

What does Pilates do?

Pilates is about training your muscle groups to work together, creating smoother movements. This will also help with improving posture, supporting proper breathing, supporting healthy spinal and pelvic alignment, and help you become more in tune with the nuances of your own body.

It also helps to improve flexibility and range of motion as well as reducing stress. Another thing to keep in mind about Pilates is quality over quantity: it should be stressed that the quality of the movements practiced is vastly more crucial than the quantity of repetitions.

When practiced regularly (about three times a week), Pilates can help you develop a stronger core, a stronger back, and gain more lean muscles. It helps with flexibility and also helps to create an evenly conditioned body.

Pilates can do wonders for the body, and not just physically. When adding proper breathing to Pilates, you are better able to execute movements with maximum power and efficiency. Pilates teaches things like quality of breathing and proper body alignment. By engaging your mind while exercising the body, you’re reaping the biggest benefits from practicing Pilates. Pilates is beneficial for overall physical health and also supports mental wellness.

But what is it that makes Pilates different from other forms of exercise? In this article, we discuss the things that differentiate Pilates from other fitness regimens and why these distinctions are so important.

Fitness regimens that bear some commonalities with Pilates include yoga, tai chi, barre, and even swimming.

Pilates and yoga

Pilates and yoga have a lot in common, but they’re certainly not interchangeable. Yoga is almost more akin to a form of active meditation, in which the practitioner (in this case, yogi) performs asanas to help create a physical, mental, and emotional experience within and throughout the body.

On the other hand, Pilates helps the practitioner learn to train several muscle groups at once using smooth controlled movements. That’s not to say that there is not or cannot be a spiritual or emotional aspect to performing Pilates; any type of movement can be meditative when performed with mindfulness. It’s more to say that Pilates helps to retrain the body to move in more efficient – and ultimately safer – patterns of motion.

For example, Pilates emphasizes focusing on proper breathing, helping to maintain healthy spinal and pelvic alignment. Ultimately, this allows the body and mind to spend their combined focus on smooth movement, helping to facilitate an acute awareness of the body. In turn, this can help with things ranging from stress to back pain to gaining a stronger physical core.

Pilates and tai chi

Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art, internal meaning that it focuses more on interior development than physiological development. It blends concepts of movement, meditation, and (sometimes) Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. Tai chi does not require the same amount of physical movement that Pilates does, but both focus on building muscle strength and autonomic memory.

Pilates and barre

Barre is a hybrid exercise regimen that borrows elements from ballet, yoga, and Pilates. Its name comes from the use of a ballet barre throughout practice. When compared with yoga, Pilates, and tai chi, barre is significantly more physical and less mental, and is generally practiced without a spiritual component.

Pilates and swimming

Because of their shared focus on gentle and repetitive moments, Pilates and swimming have quite a bit in common when it comes to the type of muscle memory the two forms of exercise facilitate. Many find their swimming exercise to be meditative and look forward to their daily dip as a form of spiritual and emotional cleansing. Likewise, learning proper breath control is a major component of both Pilates and swimming.

Pilates shares similarities with other types of exercise, but there’s nothing out there that’s completely interchangeable. Try out different exercise regimens to see which one suits you best and provides you with the best physical, mental, and spiritual benefits.

Pilates was founded with six key principles in mind: Breath, concentration, center, control, precision, and flow.

By building a strong foundation in each of these areas, your practice will improve, and your body will respond more effectively to the gift of exercise you are giving it.

Let’s take a closer look at each one of these principles.

Breath

Breathing is key in most exercise regimens. In Pilates, you learn that controlling your breathing is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your overall health and wellbeing.  Joseph Pilates was quoted as saying, “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last… above all, learn how to breath correctly”.

Concentration

The act of Pilates itself requires concentration. You are training your body to do exercises and practice positions it’s probably not used to. Joseph Pilates instructed his students to focus solely on the movements their bodies were performing to get the maximum benefit from his exercise.

Center

Most people that have done any number of Pilates understand that one of the main parts of the body that it impacts is the core, or center. This principle is key in reminding you to control your posture, helping to heal pain in your lower back, tone your core, and even assisting with breathing.

Control

Unbeknownst to most, Pilates was originally called Contrology. Control plays one of the biggest roles in practicing Pilates correctly and efficiently. Joseph Pilates was adamant about the importance of purposefully controlling every movement and all the parts of the body when practicing Pilates. He found that this was key to maximizing both his mind and body exercise.

Precision

Precision is a key factor in all forms of exercise we practice. However, Joseph Pilates was adamant about how crucial he found precision to be. He believed this emphasis on a perfect technique and movement helped people to break down their existing bad habits and then relearn how to move in a better, more efficient way.

Flow

One of the main goals for Joseph Pilates was encouraging the body to move with ease and fluidity, even through challenging movements. Interesting fact: many of Joseph Pilates’s students were ballet students as well. This makes sense, as they practice graceful, beautiful, fluid motion. Having a good flow will come with practice and overall understanding of Pilates.

What are calisthenics and why should you be doing them?

Developed in ancient Greece, calisthenics are exercises of differing intensities and rhythms that can be completed using nothing but your own body weight – although you also have the option of introducing light handheld equipment. The variety of exercises you can perform target everything from strength to endurance, flexibility and coordination and are great for getting your body warmed up before a more strenuous activity. Furthermore, studies have shown that calisthenics can also be used to help treat health conditions such as obesity.¹

How are calisthenics different to weight training?

Weight training always requires special equipment such as dumbbells, kettlebells or weight machines, which are used to perform strength-training movements. Calisthenics, on the other hand, require nothing but your own body weight. Don’t be fooled into believing this will deliver a less beneficial movement workout though, as studies have shown that the health benefits of physical exercise are similar for both calisthenics and weight training exercises.²

A simple calisthenics movement workout to try at home

The following workout does not require any additional equipment and will target various parts of your body for a complete, full-body workout. Try to complete the circuit, doing each exercise 5-20 times depending on ability and allowing yourself a rest in between each exercise if needed. Repeat the circuit if you are looking for an additional challenge.

Jump squats

• Stand with your feet parallel, directly under your shoulders
• Spread your feet a few inches apart and point your toes slightly outward
• Lower into a squat position, bending at the knees with your hips back and down
• Keep your head and face forward and your chest up
• Lower into as deep a squat as you can, then explode up into a jump

Always make sure that your knees don’t go over your toes, as this can strain and potentially injure your knee joints.

Pushups

• Lower down onto your knees with your hands underneath and slightly outside of your shoulders
• Extend your legs, using your arms to keep you upwards in a plank position
• Keep your core tight
• Don’t allow your back to arch
• Bend your elbows close to your body and lower it until your chest almost reaches the floor and your upper arms are at a 45-degree angle
• Pause and then push back to the starting position

*If you find this too challenging, you can try a modified pushup where you keep your knees on the floor

Crunches

• Lay flat with your back against the floor and your feet flat on the ground
• Bend your knees at a 90-degree angle
• Cross your hands over your chest
• With a tight core and your head about a fist’s distance from your chest, raise your body towards your knees
• Breathe out as you sit up and in as you lower back down

Burpees

• Stand with your arms at your side and your feet shoulder-width apart
• Bend at the knees and lower into a squat
• Drop your hands forward in front of you, a little narrower than foot width
• Lean into your hands and jump softly back onto the balls of your feet, with your body in a straight plank position
• Jump your feet forward next to your hands
• Jump back up, pushing your arms up over your head

*Should you wish to include some additional apparatus to your movement workout, these are also great exercises to add to your full body workout:

Pullups

• Grasp the top of an exercise bar with your arms slightly more than shoulder-width apart
• Pull upwards using your shoulder muscles and bring your head over the bar

Chin-ups

• Grasp the bottom of an exercise bar from underneath with your arms tight and slightly closer than shoulder-width apart
• Pull upwards using your biceps to pull and bring your head over the bar

Skipping

• Hold a handle in each hand and move your hands to the side of your body and the rope behind your feet
• Rotate the rope with your wrists and jump into the air, clearing the rope on each rotation, keeping your knees slightly bent

With no equipment needed, calisthenics are a great movement workout to try at home. All you need is your own body and you’re good to reap the health benefits of physical exercise!

1. https://www.journalofsports.com/pdf/2020/vol5issue1/PartA/4-2-118-976.pdf [↩]
2. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2008/03000/Effects_of_Two_Different_Eight_Week_Training.28.aspx [↩]

The importance of warming up and cooling down to improve your athletic performance

Since our school days we have been told that it’s important to warm up and cool down whenever we perform any type of movement workout. We probably haven’t questioned it. After all, we know and accept that warming up and cooling down is important. But why exactly is it so important if we are to fully reap the health benefits of physical exercise?

How to warm up before your movement workout

One of the easiest ways to warm up is simply to spend 5-10 minutes doing the activity you are planning, but at a slower pace and a reduced intensity. This will get the muscles you are going to be using used to bending and flexing and will rev up your cardiovascular system by increasing your body temperature and helping the blood flow more freely to your muscles, which may also help to reduce sore muscles after you exercise and decrease your risk of injury. after you exercise and decrease your risk of injury.¹ If you are going to run, spend five minutes walking. If you are going to cycle, spend five minutes doing it slowly to ease into it.

How exactly can warming up improve athletic performance?

Improves blood flow — Starting your movement workout with a warm-up helps to improve the blood flowing to your skeletal muscles, which in turn opens up your blood capillaries. As blood transports the oxygen to your muscles to function, increasing your blood flow is an excellent way to get your muscles ready for physical activity.
Improved oxygen efficiency — Oxygen is needed in higher amounts when exercising and warm-ups help to release oxygen from your blood. Warming up is therefore a great way to make oxygen more available.

Faster contraction and relaxation of muscles —Your muscles will perform faster and more efficiently when they increase in temperature and warming up will increase your body temperature.

Helps with injury prevention — Loosening your joints and improving blood flow to your muscles could make them less likely to twist or tear, or undergo too much strain during your movement workout.

Not forgetting mental focus — Mental focus is important for all types of exercise and warming up is a great way to achieve this, by focusing your brain on what you are about to do, thereby helping to improve your technique, coordination, and skill.

The best way to cool down

Cooling down is important to help bring your heart rate back to normal and to encourage your blood pressure to return to normal. There is a greater risk of blood pooling in your lower extremities which can result in your blood pressure crashing if you don’t cool down.² You might choose to continue your chosen activity at a slower and less intense pace, as with your warm-up, or you could simply spend 5-10 minutes walking while your body recovers. Once your heart rate has slowed back to a more regular pace it’s advisable to do some static stretching to help reduce the accumulation of lactic acid which can contribute to sore, aching muscles in the following days. following days.³

So, if warming up and cooling down is so important, why do we so often have to be reminded to do it? As with many things, it probably comes down to a combination of time and effort. While warming up and cooling down may add a few minutes to your movement workout, reports by the Mayo Clinic have revealed that this might be one of the best ways to reduce stress on your heart and other muscles,⁴ so it’s well worth dedicating the time to.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1250267/ [↩]
2. https://chhs.source.colostate.edu/the-importance-of-warming-up-and-cooling-down/ [↩]
3. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub3/full [↩]
4. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20045517 [↩]

When you think of stretches, you’ll probably picture what is known as a static stretch.

This is the type of stretch you would typically do at the end of exercise as part of your cool down routine and would involve standing in a relatively still position while moving parts of your body to gently stretch them for a period of time.

Dynamic stretches are different and are usually practised at the start, rather than at the end, of exercise. They involve a gradual stretch up to, but not beyond, your normal range of motion and, unlike static stretches, they require you to move and exert an effort in order to occur. A dynamic stretch will move your soft tissues to their full length and then, rather than holding the stretch for an extended period, require just a brief pause before the muscle you are stretching contracts and your muscles and tendons exert a force in that lengthened position.

When to use dynamic stretching

The purpose of dynamic stretches is to get your body moving. Often, they will mimic the type of exercise you’re about to perform. For example, a footballer may do a series of back-and-forth leg swings to mimic the action of hitting a football. Likewise, a swimmer may do a series of arm circles in order to warm up the arm muscles before getting into the pool.

Research has shown that dynamic stretching prior to lifting weights may help with leg extension power which results in performance improvements, when compared to either static stretching or no stretching at all.¹ Studies have also shown that dynamic stretches are beneficial for athletes engaging in sports such as running or jumping, as well as football players, basketball players and sprinters.²

Examples of dynamic stretching

There are a number of types of dynamic stretches that can be practised by anyone with no experience and no need for any apparatus.

Large arms circles

To warm up the muscles in your arms and shoulders stand with your arms extended out to your side and make large circles with your arms swinging forwards. After five to ten reps stop, change direction and repeat with your arms swinging backwards.

Leg pendulum

Swing one of your legs back and forth while balancing on the other. If you need to you can hold onto a wall or chair for support. After five to ten reps, lower your leg to the floor and repeat with your other leg. You can also swing your legs from side to side to stretch out different muscles in your legs and hips.

Spinal rotations

Standing with your feet shoulder width apart, raise your arms out to the side until they are at shoulder height. Keeping your torso as still as possible, slowly start to rotate your upper body back-and-forth from left to right. Repeat this five to ten times.

Walking lunges

Ensuring that you have clear space in front of you, move one foot forward and drop the other knee into a lunge position. Come back up and repeat with the other leg still moving forward. Walking lunges can also be performed moving backwards and from side to side.

Using dynamic stretching in your movement workouts

Dynamic stretching is just one of the ways to reap the health benefits of physical exercise. It’s important in order to warm up your muscles and reduce the risk of injury,³ but it’s also important not to do too much too soon and not to overstretch. If you feel unsure or unconfident about what to do you could consult a yoga or Pilates teacher or a personal trainer who will be able to show you how to maintain the correct form. Dynamic stretches should feel mildly challenging but at no point should you feel pain. If you do, be sure to stop as this could be an indication that you’re stretching too far.

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29063454/ [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273886/ [↩]
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737866/ [↩]

Running is a great example of an accessible movement workout that can really help you reap the health benefits of physical exercise.

While it’s relatively easy for most people to pick up, it’s also easy to run without using the correct form and technique, which can lead to a whole host of injuries from the niggling and annoying to the painful and debilitating. Fortunately, by learning the right techniques, you can greatly reduce the risk of doing damage to yourself and continue to enjoy your workouts.

So, what is the correct running technique?

Whether you are going for a quick run around the street, or for a long-distance training session for a big running event, technique is everything. Studies have shown that poor technique is a major factor in running injuries.¹ These running tips will help you get all the health benefits of physical exercise with the least risk of pain or injury.

Look ahead

Keep your eyes forward. As much as you might want to look at what your feet are doing, you should focus on the ground about 10-20 feet in front of you instead. This avoids putting stress on the back of your neck and shoulder muscles and also means you will see what’s coming, making your run safer.

Avoid over-striding

There is such a thing as ‘too much.’ In the case of running, we’re talking about your stride. Try to find your own stride length and don’t worry about matching others. We’ve all got different length legs and different degrees of flexibility. The correct stride will help your foot to fall in line with your torso, and not in front of it. Ideally you want your knee to flex directly above the ankle on your foot’s initial contact with the ground. If you can see your ankle ahead of your knee, you are overstriding.

Maintain your posture and relax your shoulders

Good posture leads to good form. This is true whether you are sat at a desk, in your car, or running. Bad posture will see your shoulders rounded forwards and your body tight. Good posture is a combination of awareness and practice. Take a check every so often and think about how you are standing. You should be straight with your chest open, your shoulders back and loose, and your arms swinging naturally by your side rather than in front of you. Tension in your shoulders, back or neck can affect your arm motion and while your feet are responsible for the moving part, your arms are there to provide balance, rhythm and power. Keep your arms moving and match them to your legs – smaller movements when jogging, bigger movements for larger strides.

Strengthen your core and glutes

Your core and glute muscles are the two key muscle groups that provide stability around your lower trunk, pelvis and hips. Weaknesses in these areas can lead to a host of possible injuries, as well as a reduction in performance. To be a good runner, you need to focus on regular strength and stability movement exercises that strengthen these muscles, such as squats, lunges and hip raises.

Learn to control your breathing

This comes with practice and it undoubtedly gets easier as you get fitter, but it’s important whatever stage of your running journey you are at. The ratios with which you inhale and exhale will vary according to the intensity of your workout. While it might feel a little unnatural at first, breathing through your mouth can really help you here as inhaling and exhaling through your mouth allows more oxygen to enter your body and fuel your muscles quicker. Another tip is to try and breathe more deeply, in what is known as diaphragmatic breathing. This involves breathing deeper into your belly to allow more air to enter.

A word about running shoes…

As important as it is to ensure you are maintaining the correct form and technique, making sure you are wearing the correct running shoes is also key. Running is a high-impact activity that can add stress to your joints and the tiniest imbalances can soon throw your body out of balance. If you are a ‘neutral’ runner you are one of the lucky ones! Your feet will naturally fall where they should and you won’t pick up injuries as easily. Most of us naturally fall into the categories of ‘overpronators’ or ‘under pronators’ though, which studies have shown are associated with more foot injuries. An overpronator will run with their feet facing slightly inwards – almost as if they are walking a tightrope – whereas an under pronator will do the opposite and run with their feet facing slightly outwards.² You might be able to tell which you are by looking at how the sole of your shoes wear. If they wear on the inside first, you’re likely to overpronate. If they wear on the outer edges, you probably under pronate.

It all sounds very technical but thankfully you don’t have to worry. Any good running shop will be able to assess your feet, watch how you move and then help you find the correct running shoes to counteract any imbalances. This is not a time to worry about fashion and go for the latest brand, it’s a time to let the experts help you find the shoes that will cushion and protect you best. Your feet will thank you for it!

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-199214050-00004 [↩]
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392721/ [↩]

When we talk of children and physical exercise, it’s a lot different to how we would approach a movement workout for an adult – you certainly wouldn’t expect to see a child lifting weights at a gym, for example.

For a child, any form of movement could be classed as physical activity, from running around with friends to dancing around the living room.

Why is exercise so important for children?

Exercise is usually something that is done to keep fit and well, and while that’s true for any age, there are other factors that make it so important to encourage activity in children from an early age. Exercise enhances and promotes the development of motor skills, bones and muscles, cognitive and social skills and brings a number of other health benefits too:¹

• Improving fitness
• Providing an opportunity to socialize
• Increasing concentration
• Improving academic scores
• Building a stronger heart, bones and healthier muscles
• Encouraging healthy growth and development
• Improving self-esteem
• Improving posture and balance
• Lowering stress
• Encouraging a better night’s sleep     

What type, and how much exercise does your child need?

Both the amount and type of exercise your child should be getting depends on their age:

Less than 5-years and not yet walking – NHSguidance states that children under the age of 5, who are not yet walking, should be encouraged to enjoy any type of movement activity to benefit their development. Examples of suitable exercises would include floor-based activities that encourage them to hold different positions, such as rolling over or reaching for a toy. You could also enjoy water-based activities, such as play time in the bath or you could go to your local swimming pool with them.

Less than 5-years and walking unaided – In this scenario, the guidance is that you should ensure your child is active for a minimum of three hours each day. Time in front of the TV or computer should be minimized and instead, they should be encouraged to enjoy activities like running or playing in the garden, throwing and catching a ball, climbing, walking and bouncing on a trampoline.

Children and young people between 5-18 years – NHS guidance is that children and young people should be doing at least one hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day to fully reap the health benefits of physical exercise. Examples might include riding a bike, swimming, gymnastics, skipping, playing a sport such as football, martial arts or even taking the family dog for a brisk walk, which would benefit them too!

Whatever the age of your child, it’s important to remember that physical movement should form the basis of their development and should always be encouraged over spending time in front of the television. As with most things though, it’s all about balance, so there’s certainly nothing wrong with sitting down and watching a movie with them occasionally either.  Physical exercise has been shown in studies to enhance self-esteem, reduce stress and benefit children’s overall mental health,² so should always be actively encouraged.

1. https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/general-health-advice/leading-active-lifestyle/exercise-children-and-young-people/ [↩]
2. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-05137-001 [↩]

Top tips on preventing injury and enjoying the health benefits of physical exercise.

Sustaining an injury is one of the quickest ways to derail your fitness efforts. Whether you’re an avid exerciser or are just about to embark on a new fitness program, it’s important to know how to move and exercise properly so that you can avoid injuries and keep moving closer to your fitness goals.

Follow our top tips to stay injury free

• Choose your workout carefully

It’s tempting to go straight for what you think will have the maximum results in the quickest time, but there are many factors to consider when choosing workout plans that are right for you. High impact exercises, such as running, can be great for increasing stamina and cardiovascular fitness, but they also come with a higher risk of injury due to the extra stress placed on your joints. Lower impact exercises, such as swimming, can offer you just as good a cardiovascular and movement workout but with less impact on your joints and, therefore, less risk of injury.

• Learn the techniques and how to exercise properly

Small movements can result in big injuries. Particularly when it comes to something like weight lifting. Even what seems like a small weight can rip or tear muscles if lifted incorrectly. By speaking to a fitness trainer or coach, you can learn the appropriate techniques, how to stand and how to push yourself without overdoing it and causing damage. This is even more important if you have any underlying health conditions or if there are other factors that might affect your physical capabilities.

• Get the right gear

Exercise can be hard enough so don’t make it even more difficult by failing to invest in the right gear. Appropriate footwear can counteract any issues you may have with balance or with over, or under pronation – both of which can cause injury. If you’re exercising at night then reflective clothing can keep you safe and visible to others and be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. If running in the cold for example, wear layers that can be put back on once you stop because as hot as you might get, your body temperature will soon plummet when you stop moving.

• Warm up

Don’t just rush straight into things! Warming up your muscles prepares them for what’s to come. It loosens them and prepares them to move more freely so there is less chance of shocking them when you start your workout and less potential for pulling or overstretching a muscle to beyond its capacity. According to the NHS website, a warm up routine should take at least 6 minutes for best effect.¹

• Stay hydrated

Your body needs water. Without it you will not just feel unwell but you will have less mental as well as physical endurance and awareness. Exercise induces sweating which results in you losing water and makes it more important than ever to replace it regularly. Dehydration can leave you fatigued with impaired concentration, making you more injury prone and can also result in cramps, spasms and soreness.

• Vary your workouts – don’t focus and overuse one muscle group

Changing up your workout plans doesn’t just stop you getting bored but it helps to reduce the chance of you getting injured. That’s because you can in fact have too much of a good thing. So even if you find yourself really getting into your new workout, remember to take time out. Your muscles will tire and they need a chance to recover and repair. Try mixing things up. If you go for a hike one day, go for a swim the next time for example.

• Fuel your body with the right nutrition

The right nutrition is absolutely vital for getting the maximum health benefits of physical exercise. Different nutrients support your body in different ways. You need glycogen or carbohydrates to provide your body and brain with the fuel needed to recover and adapt to exercise. Plus, amino acids – the nutrients that help to build cells and support muscle repair – are essential for post-workout recovery as the rate at which they are used is increased during exercise.² Foods high in naturally occurring amino acids include meat and poultry, fish, eggs, soy, buts and seeds.

There’s a magic ‘window of recovery’ within the first 30 minutes of finishing your workout where you should aim to give your body the nutrition it needs to start repairing and, therefore, limit your chances of injury.

Follow these points and you are better placed to enjoy the health benefits of physical exercise with a lower risk of injury.

1. NHS: How to warm up before exercising [↩]
2. NCBI: Effect of exercise on amino acid concentrations in skeletal muscle and plasma [↩]