A 5 Step Approach to Reverse the Effects of Persistent Body Aches and Pains While in Lockdown
Your persistent body aches and pains don’t need to be the reason your exercise takes a back seat during lockdown..
The time is now. Don’t wait for fitness facilities to get back up and running. You can change the way you are feeling now in the comfort of your own home. We have the gift of time but you need to make your health goals your priority.
I understand your stress levels may be heightened but what better way to combat it than with a daily dose of exercise which releases endorphins – the happy hormone. Think about how you want to feel on the other end of lockdown and use it as your motivation.
If you have stopped structured exercise altogether since the gym closures and mandatory lockdown, you’re not alone. Never before have we been faced with such a situation where we have been restricted from attending facilities that allow us to manage our physical health needs. For some of you, perhaps it’s been 5 months without exercising and for others there may have been a seamless transition into home exercise workouts.
If you are looking to get back into some form of exercise during lockdown, but don’t know where to begin as you are dealing with persistent aches, pains, injuries or deconditioning due to physical inactivity just know there is hope and you can change it. You don’t have to wait for gyms to reopen!
Here is a 5 step approach to managing your body aches and pains to keep you active while at home:
- Body Awareness
It is no secret that we are living a more sedentary lifestyle (even more so now than ever before) and as a result muscular weakness and imbalances develop around important structures in the body, such as, the pelvis and spine.
By being body aware you can begin to understand what particular task, movement or habit aggravates or stirs up pain in your body so that adjustments and corrections can be made in order to carry out your activities of daily living (ADL’s).
Tip: When working at your desk your posterior chain muscles (eg. muscles in the back part of our body – glutes, hamstrings and spinal muscles) become sluggish and switch off during prolonged sitting and as a result we find ourselves falling forward and slumping over the keyboard.
When you catch yourself doing this, adjust your body positioning – tense up your bottom, your thighs and gently lift your shoulders up and back! Wake them up for a moment before resuming your comfortable desk posture. Do this often throughout the day!
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2. Relax + Release Tension
Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress – which is the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain. The more stress and anxiety you feel, the more tense your body becomes and if we don’t somehow release it through breathing, stretching, gentle movement, yoga or many other forms of relaxation such as meditation, it stores itself in our muscles, tissues and fascia. Over time it can manifest into physical pain.
It is important to release tension to calm your body, minimise the risk of injury to allow the body to move through its full range of motion without restriction.
Tip: Lay on a foam roller and massage your thighs (front and side yes its pain I know), lower leg and glutes (bottom), perform some gentle stretches and take a few breathes perhaps in your lunch break or at the end of the day to help rid go of the daily tension, stress and anxiety.
3. Strengthen the Foundations
When you are deconditioned or physically inactive, muscle weakness and imbalances become more evident in and around the pelvis and spine. In order to keep them functioning to improve posture and reduce aches and pains building a solid foundation is the key to avoiding your body from repeatedly breaking down by taking you to the next level of exercise to prevent illness and disease.
Much like when a new house is built, there is a process of laying a solid foundation first before the structure of the house goes up. Same applies for your body. Strengthening your glutes, hips, thighs, mid back, low back and upper back are fundamental to improve your muscle tolerance to be able to carry out activities of daily living.
Tip: Lay a mat out on the floor and at the very least perform some bridging exercises. This is one of the easiest and best exercises that targets your posterior chain muscles without equipment. Also, while you’re at your desk pull your shoulder blades back and feel your shoulder blades coming together.
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4. Progress Muscular Endurance
Progressing the load that you place on your muscle tissue, structures and fascia is one of the most important steps in avoiding injuries and the body breaking down. This can be done by using resistance bands to begin with or holding onto light weights.
By incorporating a graded exercise program you are strengthening, improving and increasing your body’s tolerance and ability to sustain exercise for prolonged periods of time eg. walking, strength training, activities of daily living, carrying the shopping bags or the laundry basket.
Tip: Add a band to your bridge by placing it just above your knees to increase the tension around your glute area. This is aimed at increasing strength and improving your muscular endurance which may assist in improving your low back tension or pain.
Get your home wellness toolkit here – https://bit.ly/3a0FabX
5. Consistent Strength + Conditioning
Exercising consistently is the ultimate goal and is what will get you feeling energetic, productive and confident in your body to complete your ADL’s and more intense exercise workouts.
Including strength, cardio/conditioning, mobility and flexibility to your routine will ensure you maintain your body composition, muscle tone, bone strength and mobility.
Tip: Engaging in regular exercise is the most important aspect of maintaining your strength, physical conditioning and preventing chronic disease and illness. The guidelines suggest participating in 2-3 strength sessions per week and 150 mins or moderate intensity or 75 mins vigorous intensity aerobic exercise and 1-2 flexibility / mobility sessions.
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So in conclusion, if you are thinking about exercising but you don’t know where to begin because you have other health issues or injuries that are limiting you from starting, then this 5 step approach may be what you need to break the cycle of pain.
This 5 step approach has been tried and tested in clinical practice for over 9 years and has helped hundreds of women with persistent body aches and pains return safely to exercise to begin their fat loss journey!
I have provided some tips for each stage so feel free to try them and if you’d like more structured and specialised guidance with regards to your health journey please get in touch.
Email me at louisa@louisasammartino.com and let’s get your journey started!
Get your home wellness toolkit here to begin making some small changes –