By: Vicki Aldridge
Healing & Wellness Council
A general exercise guide for everyone. Firstly any movement is a form of exercise. How much movement is advisable depends on your present fitness, your need and your enjoyment. It should feel good, even if it’s challenging it should not feel bad! You must also allow for your daily and present vitality, energy and life force. Exercise is about improving your mental, emotional and physical fitness. Ideally exercise should resonate with you and feel in that moment! Therefore, it may change day to day, hour to hour and even minute to minute. It’s also worth considering what time of day works best for you. Some people would rather exercise and benefit from the effort more in the morning and some people it’s better mid-afternoon, or even evening.
Ultimately it is important to remember that;
Movement is life if you don’t move you die.
Movement stimulates your life force as well as your physical body. This includes the blood flow and neurological connections to your brain, spinal cord, abdominal neurons, and peripheral nervous system, your soft tissue health and connective tissues such as muscles, ligaments, joints, fascia, your body organ and gland functions for as aspects including breathing, digestion, hormone balance, stress control. In other words it is good to move. We must move enough to keep our bodies fit for whatever purpose we would like to live at that present time, as well as to help us age well. There is a theory that your present fitness will sustain you for 10 years+ hence, or not!
Always bear in mind what are you exercising for. You can over exercise as much as under exercise. Joints and soft tissues need to be used to keep them functioning but not over used. It is important that our brain and body communication effectively and efficiently. Most injuries occurs when our bodies, thoughts and energies are out of balance. So try to keep present and move as a whole; mind, body and spirit. Allowing for physical and emotional fatigue and trauma while exercising can help us heal and even unblock them.
The greatest challenge for most bodies is prolonged static positions such as sitting or standing. This deconditions the body and mind. Over repetition of one particular movement can also decondition the body and mind. There are 3 different overall categories of exercise/ movement. Stretching, strengthening and coordination…. These can be summarised as moving efficiently, mindfully and with purpose. Strength is only useful when it’s balanced and true.
It is also worth considering the concept of how you are moving. Ideally this should be from the inside out or mindfully. Before you move take a deep breath, activate your body/ come to attention and prepare for what is to come, and physically engage your core, your stabilising muscles groups. This will help you move as a whole rather than in parts.
Often the most basic and easily accessible form of exercise is walking. The quality of how you walk depends on how much attention and effort you put in. Ideally you are looking for it to be engaged, fluid and efficient as possible. Here are some links to some basic exercise suggestions; Walk/jog https://youtu.be/VomnFAuHb60; https://youtu.be/dvHIrgFlwrQ
March on the spot https://youtu.be/9wl_AiNhYP0
Balance https://youtu.be/UoMSMdMKfBY
Arm circles https://youtu.be/9pEYwmufn48
Natural body weighted movement suggestions;
Suggested balance Equipment;
Wobble cushions
Flow ropes
Kettle bells
And many more…
Your body is the best trainer. Listen to its feedback and work with it to get the best long- and short-term results.
Have fun and enjoy exploring the beauty of movement and your life force energy.