Where do I start with exercise?

So, if it's been YEARS since you did any organised exercise, or even decades, it can be difficult to know where to start. 

First of all, I'd like to reassure you that you probably have done some exercise, even if it doesn't feel like it. After all, you might go up and down stairs, walk to the shops, carry shopping to the car, lift up the laundry onto the line, empty the bins, load and unload the dishwasher. This is all daily movement and even exercise.

The best start is to add in a little more of the above. I'm a BIG fan of the therapeutic walk. Start with 10-15 minutes and gradually build up more time. Find a hill to walk up, or a rocky path to challenge your balance. You'll get fresh air, headspace and exercise to boot. It's SO great for your mental health as well as your physical health that it's a great place to start. Start to think about your posture too - hold your head high and relax your shoulders. Put a little fire into your tummy muscles to help support your back. 

And if you're ready for a challenge then simple body weight exercises like squats and lunges (keeping it slow and don't go to deep) are great, as are press ups against the wall or the kitchen counter. 

But a key thing in all of these is posture and core strength. Keeping the head held high, chin off your chest and pelvis in a neutral position (not sticking your bum or your tum out). A simple way to switch on your abdominal muscles is to imagine something is about to hit you in the naval and you brace to avoid it. Do this as you breathe out. 

Oh, and of course the pelvic floor. One of my pet topics. And something that stops a surprising number of women from going along to a class. Anyone who comes to our classes is likely to end up experiencing one of our 'pelvic floor chats' at some point. Our main aim is to get you to understand this part of your anatomy and to engage it, not just in doing isolated kegels (pelvic floor squeezes) but also as you move and lift too. 

And once you start to exercise you'll soon feel the benefits, not just physically, but mentally too. Especially if you happen to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. There's SO much benefit to getting moving regularly and it can be fun too. 

The Wild Country Woman team is always here to help you get started in getting moving. Our classes and workshops are welcoming to all levels of fitness and we will encourage you to move well so that you can build a long term love affair with outdoor exercise. 

Hop on over to our classes page to see if there's anything going on near you. www.wildcountrywoman.com/classes 

 

Photo by Pawel Janiak on Unsplash