The second day of the 30-day challenge (by Adam Meakins)
Check out WHO guidelines and wash your hands before and after exercising.
Category: Exercise Inspiration
Your daily exercise inspiration.
The first day of the 30-day challenge (by Adam Meakins)
Check out WHO guidelines and wash your hands before and after exercising.
By Adam Meakins, a Specialist Physiotherapist, as well as a qualified Strength & Conditioning Specialist in both the NHS and private practice in England. Also known as ‘The Sports Physio’.
The COVID19 virus is currently sweeping across the globe and battering the hell out of the human population. Some unfortunately become severely ill and die, some are left with long term disability, and some have other diseases go untreated.
Thankfully, most have not been severely affected by COVID19 with either a mild fever for a few days or no symptoms at all. However, despite the difference in symptoms there is no doubt this virus has affected us all in other ways forcing us to drastically change our way of living now and for the foreseeable future.
Social distancing and lockdown measures across the world mean many of us have been forced to spend extended periods in our homes unable to travel, move around, or go about our business as normal. Extended periods of time under social distancing and isolation measures has the potential to increase sedentary behaviours and risks creating further health and disability issues in our population. [1]
Maintaining levels of physical activity can be a challenge at the best of times, but even harder when unable to access facilities or equipment, especially when it comes to engaging with resistance exercise. The WHO recommends that all adults get a minimum of two sessions of resistance exercise a week [2]. This, however, is often overlooked or forgotten due to the more widely known target of 150 minutes of physical activity a week.[3]
One of my long-term goals has been, and continues to be, to promote the physiological and psychological benefits of resistance exercise with my slogan “you can’t go wrong getting strong”. At the start of the lockdown in the UK I began a ’30 Day Home Workout Challenge’ on social media posting daily videos of my own workouts done in my office/spare room.
‘You can’t go wrong getting isolation strong’
The idea was to demonstrate that simple, effective, no nonsense resistance exercise can be done in a limited space and with minimal equipment. These videos show a daily circuit of exercises that lasted about 20-30 minutes. The exercises were programmed through the challenge to equally work the upper and lower body, and focused mostly on simple push, pull, or lift movements, with some occasional light hearted fluff thrown in such as doing regular bicep curls, coz you know… curlz getz the girlz!
The dosage parameters of each session were also kept clear, simple and evidenced based, usually involving between 3-5 sets, with each exercise done to a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) level of between 8-10. My reasons for choosing RPE levels for resistance exercise is in a continued effort to get more to move away from using fixed rep ranges when prescribing or doing resistance exercise. I often find fixed rep ranges don’t allow for individual variation and often lead to under or overdosing, whereas RPE levels can simply and easily be used by all.
The idea for this 30-day challenge, and others I have done in the past is to help promote the idea that regular resistance exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or only done in gyms, with lots gadgets and gimmicks. Instead resistance exercise can be highly effective if it’s simply done regularly and is challenging and effortful.
References
[1] Chen, P et al (2020). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): The need to maintain regular physical activity while taking precautions. Journal of Sport and Health Science. Vol 9, 2, 103-104
[2] World Health Organisation (2010) Global recommendations on physical activity for health ISBN: 9789241599979 https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/9789241599979/en/
[3] Lowe, A et al (2017). Are physiotherapists walking the walk? A global survey of physiotherapists physical activity levels. Poster Presentation at The World Congress of Physical Therapy, Cape Town, July 2 2017. Sheffield Hallam University Archive, http://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16662
Article by Dr. Jane Walsh, Health Psychologist NUI Galway.
In the midst of the current coronavirus pandemic, we have witnessed the temporary annihilation of the global sporting events calendar. Not only have many of our target races or competitions been cancelled, we have suffered the loss of most of our social training activities and a general disruption to our normal routines.
Along with the stress many face around their health and that of their loved ones, and the mastering of new health behaviours (e.g. social distancing, increased self-hygiene), many of us have been dealt a significant blow to our motivation to train. This is further compounded by the uncertainty of the timeline, due to the unpredictability of the course of the pandemic.
So, you had a goal, and now it’s either decimated, or uncertain. What is the best approach to deal with this curveball? Here are 5 top tips from the scientific study of psychology to help us to regain our motivation.
Embrace the challenge.
In the same way as you would grit your teeth having to cycle up a steep hill, or dig in for a long run, consider this a novel challenge to both mind and body. Analyse the complexities of what it entails and begin the process of adaptation to the new circumstances. Why should you do this? Take time to consider your underlying motivation.
Reflect on your motivation(s).
Many of us have journeyed into this life of training/preparing for races for reasons that are usually based on personal goals, e.g to lose weight, get fit, get a new PB. These are what drive the ‘initiation phase’ and require disciplined focus in order to successfully change our daily routines and develop new habits.
Over time, our goals and motivations change. This is natural, as we improve and settle into routines. Reflecting on these and setting new goals regularly is important to maintain motivation and interest. However, when a change in personal circumstances arise (e.g. travel or other life events) ‘self-regulation’ becomes key to maintaining our goal focus.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation involves controlling one’s behavior and emotions in the pursuit of long-term goals. This is not just about self-control, it also involves setting goals, initiating and maintaining good habits, even in the face of a dynamic and changing environment. Key to success is the development of a flexible and adaptive mindset. This means developing an ability to adapt your goals, attitude and behavior in response to the challenges life throws at you.
Goal-Setting
So, your original goal is gone or uncertain, what’s next? Set a new one! Take some time to consider where you like to go next. View this as an excuse, an opportunity to go down a different path. With the uncertainty of the course of Covid 19, it would be particularly useful to set some shorter, medium, and longer-term goals that are flexible.
Some people will prefer to continue their normal training routine as much as possible, unperturbed by the uncertainty, viewing it as a lifestyle. For others, it may be a golden opportunity to relax a little, take the foot off the gas, and do something different for a while. This pandemic provides a unique chance to reflect, revisit and reboot. Use it!
Enjoy the process
The most important part of all of this is personal enjoyment. Whether it’s a love of the outdoors, the fun of social training (if allowed), the sense of accomplishment after a hard session, or the adrenaline rush of a race, it doesn’t matter. Let’s face it, our goals are a trick to help us drag ourselves out of bed when we would rather sleep in, to push ourselves outdoors when the weather is dreadful. At the very heart of what we do is an activity that contributes enormously to our quality of life. So, hold onto that thought during these difficult times, stay healthy and never forget how lucky we are to be able to do it!
“It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
Muhammed Ali
About the Author
Dr. Jane Walsh a keen triathlete is a lecturer in Health Psychology in NUI Galway, her research is underpinned by the theme ‘Health Behaviour for Healthy Ageing’. She is the Director of the mHealth Research Group and recently secured grants in excess of €8 million euro in EU funding to conduct research on how novel technologies can be harnessed to deliver personalised evidence-based interventions to promote healthy ageing. Jane is the Co-Leader of the Health and Wellbeing Cluster in the Whitaker Institute, a member of the Irish Cancer Society Research Advisory Board and an Associate Editor of the Journal Psychology and Health.
Jane has given several keynotes both nationally and internationally on related topics including The Physical and Psychological Benefits of Exercise and Mindset and Peak Performance in Sport.
NHS has 24 instructor-led videos across aerobics exercise, strength and resistance, and pilates and yoga categories.
The workouts have been created by fitness experts InstructorLive and range from 10 to 45 minutes. All videos contribute to achieving the 150 minutes of exercise per week, as recommended.
Do you prefer an exercise schedule? Check their Strength and Flex exercise plan
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-fitness-studio/
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MSK NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Every day MSK NHS Ayrshire & Arran uploads short exercise videos on Facebook. No dumbells, MSK HHS Ayrshire & Arran uses water bottles and they keep their exercises simple. Our QuaranTrainers are enthusiastic, will you join them next time?
QuaranTrain 