Especially now, given most of the world is in yet another lockdown.
2020 was a shocker of year for most of us I think. It was filled with irregularity and uncertainty. I struggled to maintain a decent level of fitness and sunk into many “bad” habits which I am sure most of us did.
Today’s newsletter will be short, and I wanted to share three things you can do today, to get yourself out of your “fitness hole” which will leave you feeling better and more energised.
Trigger Workouts
What exactly is a trigger workout? Craig Weller, the Precision Nutrition Master Coach, came up with this idea at the beginning of the pandemic in March of doing multiple micro workouts throughout the day, rather than the usual one hour blocked off training we are accustomed.
The idea, is that we perform exercises at random, say ten squats, at specific points in the day when we feel like it or at a pre-determined time. This way, we do the same number of reps we might do in a single workout but spread over an entire day.
The benefits of this are that we don’t break out in a sweat, remove the motivation barrier to doing the workout, and still move the body enough to keep us active and healthy.
Commit To Doing Little But Often
As many of you may already know is that I am a sucker for “baby steps”. As a former fitness/ hobby extremist, if I couldn’t do something to a high level, I would view “why bother at all”.
The apparent drawback of that approach is that you usually don’t get started in the first place, which means you miss out on plenty of new experiences and growth opportunities.
The same applies to fitness. Something as simple as going for a 5-10 minute walk around the block or to the local coffee shop may not seem like much, but weeks and months add up over the days. If anything getting out of the house is good for your mental health.
Stretch And Make It Easy
From hours of sitting on a couch or hunched over a laptop, I have recently experienced my first “nerve injury”. I have had constant pain in my neck for the past six weeks and a tingling sensation down my left arm. I haven’t been able to run, lift weights or train dynamically.
It’s been quite debilitating if I‘m honest, but as with every injury, there is a silver lining. What I can do is stretch. I don’t often feel like it and try to make excuses not to, but it alleviates the discomfort significantly whenever I do.
I follow the exercises the physio gave me, and pick a handful of stretches that feel good. The goal is not to sweat or make it hard, to do it as much as it feels right for me. Stretching can last 10 minutes to one hour, depending on what I want to do that day.
I am not sure what it is, but the breathing, taking time to focus on one thing or the “loose” feeling afterwards keeps me motivated to stick at it.
My advice here is to pick one or two stretches you like, make them easy and try to do them every day, even if just for 3-5 minutes.
Here are some suggestions for three good ones you can start with.
In Conclusion
If you feel you are the only one having a tough time and feeling in a slump, fear not! You are not alone and even the health and fitness professionals out there are struggling.
I hope you found at least one of these tips useful. If you have any questions or suggestions for future blogs/ newsletter, please feel free to email me at patrick@leaner-uk.com.
Yours In Health
Patrick Fallis