A belated 2022

We apologise for the radio silence but hope your 2022 has started off on the right foot!
The New Year began with a new home for our family. Moving home on New Year’s Eve, is something I would not recommend, but with a little help from friends we managed to uproot and create a new home in Stroud.
Moving home is one of the most stressful events in our lives, ranked higher than divorce, childbirth or starting a new job. Not only is there the physical aspect of moving, but there is also ultimately the emotional aspect of letting go and moving on. Endless trips to the charity shops and recycling centres, giving away or throwing away ‘stuff’ that you have accumulated and stored ‘just in case’ stirs up the emotions and raises many questions.

​Not all is negative re a move or a clear out, it provides opportunities to create new habits, ditch old routines and start afresh. The New Year presents this opportunity, but as we have observed over the past 20 years, January is catch up, clear up and get ready month. When February arrives with the slightly lighter, longer days, we see an increase in the interest for personal training and the desire to create healthy habits.
 
Changes in circumstances can often dictate a change in your regular exercise habit! Moving home, isolating, a change of job, or injury can lead to a break in the routine. This change in lifestyle may last weeks, months or even years, but don't worry, even the most dedicated exercise fanatics have off periods from time-to-time. So, if you have taken a break after an illness, injury, holiday, or apathy, it is still possible to get back into your gym kit and create a new focus and routine. 

A Word of Caution!
If it has been a while since you had any regular exercise routine and want to return to your old ‘shape’ and form, you might be tempted to pick up where you left off. But, a word of caution, picking up where you left off might result in you injuring yourself or becoming so stiff and sore that you never wish to step foot in the gym again! 
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​The Good News
​As someone who has trained before, the good news is your muscle ‘memory’ remains for a long time, so the healthier and better shape you were in to begin with means the less time it will take to get back to where you want to be! This is because your muscle fibres “remember” previous training movements so that when you get back to exercising after a long-lasting layoff, you are able regain lost muscle with ease! 

Naturally, the longer you go without exercise, the longer the process of recovery but if you follow these guidelines, you will help you get back to feeling healthy and vibrant in no time. It will help you immensely if you lower your expectations at the start, as to begin with you may feel a little ‘rusty’ and sluggish. By reducing the pressure on yourself, you may be less inclined to feel frustrated and quit! Gradually ease back into your workouts to avoid injury. Slowly build up to a less-intense version of your regular workout, before ploughing into the ‘intense’ version you were performing before your respite. Keep intensity low (around 50-60% of your perceived ability). Gradually increase intensity and resistance as your body becomes accustomed to your new regime. ​

What should I do next?
Whatever you do, do something. Your time away from training may not have been your choice, but exercise is a cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. Take time to pause, take a breath, reflect then look at the bigger picture. Try and create a ‘blueprint’ for how you wish to spend the rest of your life. Imaging ourselves at 90, still physically active and mentally alert might mean your lifestyle choices may radically change!