Incase anyone needs to hear it, some exercise is better than no exercise

[OldEnoughandUglyEnough]

I just thought I would let you all know a little tip that I’ve learnt. I have been very lazy since the first lockdown began, before that I always exercised minimally but when lockdown hit I stopped going to the gym, stopped commuting and was just working from home full time sat at my desk, the only exercise walking the dog. Before this I had been a gym member most of my adult life although I have never been a gym bunny, I would do a little cardio, a little weight training maybe the odd class. I would ramp it up every now and then before a holiday but on the whole I did only minimal exercise and I wouldn’t have called myself particularly fit.

So what I have discovered is that, that small amount of exercise I previously did must have been doing something because for the last year I have had neck pain, back pain and ankle pain that I have never had before. The other day I bent over slightly to lift something quite light and felt a twinge in my back that I never would have had before. The same day I placed my foot down slightly wonky and got a twinge in my ankle that made walking on it for the rest of the day painful. Honestly such minor movements that never would have affected me before! I am in my early forties and average weight, but I have realised exercise is not just about weight or looks. I have finally learnt my lesson and I’m going to start Pilates again and work myself back up. I feel like I have no muscles left in my body to support me and my whole body is going to pot. So learn from me, a little exercise is better than nothing! If anyone has been as stupid as me and managed to get fitter again, I’d love to hear about it.

Good to know! I always talk myself out of doing a short work-out because I figure it won't do much.

That's a good reminder.

We don't hear that often enough -

Yes! Just do it, honestly you are stronger than you realise and it’s worth keeping up rather than losing.

Yes it’s a very timely reminder for me too thanks OP

Great reminder Thankyou

I’m late forties and going to pot!

Definitely!

The other thing that really helps me is remembering half hearted can’t really be bothered exercise is still better than sitting on the sofa. Also remembering that one bad day doesn’t mean you have to abandon everything and eat biscuits.

Great reminder, walls are also underestimated too. A 10 minute walk a day is absolutely better than nothing if you’re otherwise sedentary.

Game changer for me was stopping relating exercise to losing weight. I do it to be strong and healthy now, not to burn calories.

That is a great message! Also the more you do exercise the more enjoyable it becomes so you can increase the amount gradually. My 56 year old husband just came back from a run and I am SO proud of him and happy about it particularly as he's put on weight recently.

Agreed.

I have noticed that if someone is new to exercise and asks for advice on the Internet, they are invariably told it won't do any good unless they're running for an hour four times a week and lifting heavy weights at least. If you do zero exercise then any exercise is a vast improvement and good for your body.

I do a ten-minute daily workout on YouTube and It has had a noticeable effect on my body (from a low starting point admittedly.)

Definitely!
I’ve not ventured back into the gym for 3 weeks but I’m walking to work instead of taking the car (it’s only a mile but I could be extra lazy in this icy weather and drive ) so walking to and from work plus a quick power walk during my lunch break is keeping me ticking over until I go back.
I’m not beating myself up about it, I’ll be back gymming soon, probably when February hits and it’ll be less busy.

I'm quite slim, I am absolutely NOT a gym bore. But I might say in passing to a friend that I need to get back to exercise (winter, wfh, you know any excuse not to) and I'm told always oh but you are so slim! (I'm actually a 14 to 16 but very tall) I want to scream it's not about bloody losing weight. It's strength, mobility. Cardiac fitness. Exercise is incredibly beneficial for ageing healthily.

Letitsnoooow That’s really good to hear as that’s pretty much what I’m starting with now!

I absolutely agree. Think of it this way - if you do 15mins 5 times a week instead of nothing, that's 1hr15 mins over the week. Definitely better than nothing. I also agree about shifting the focus of exercise to core strength, flexibility and well-being as opposed to weight loss. A workout doesn't have to be long and sweaty to be beneficial.

Agreed, I've noted in the past that my pains went away when I got stronger from running, although I had new pains associated with running. Need to get started even just with walking or maybe swimming as have put on weight over the pandemic and feel a lot slower in myself than I used to. Even just a little bit would increase my general confidence.

Just what I needed to hear this morning as I notice my tighter waist band

Plus it does lift your mood. Mental benefits not to be sneezed at.

I actually have loads of choice for decent walks where I live so should make use of that often.

Have you checked the set up of your computer and desk chair? I had awful tailbone trouble this year, that turned out to be due to a bad desk chair!

Great thread. 'Move every day' is my new mantra. Yesterday that was a 2 hour cleaning session, today it's 20 mins of yoga.

I also find the more you do, the more you want to do, but that's not my focus.

I'm fit as in do classes, run a few HMs a year, but incidental exercise and little and often bursts are so very important. Our school run is short enough that I am never tempted to waste time by driving, but it adds up to 5k per week, and with my other functional walking it was 8k/ 5mi per week. When that was stolen from me in lockdowns, that's hard to artificially replicate; add that together in an additional run and it's then a slog risking injury on top of my regular exercise load.
Being forgetful, I do so many steps up and down the stairs when I get ready to leave the house. Remove my purpose in life and only let me out to exercise and I then become a sedentary slob that suddenly blasts out an hour or two of intense movement every couple of days and that's an injury risk.

I always recommend fitting in 15 min videos (Yoga with Adriene, Mr Motivator, Fit with Rick are my current go-tos) because it's easier to fit in something small and attainable and our bodies are built to move regularly.

It's also annoying when exercise is dismissed as a tool in weightloss. Muscle has a higher metabolic rate, and an extra couple of hundred calories burned does make a difference in sustaining weight loss and maintaining after. It's tough to outrun a bad diet and you need decent nutrition to live well, but that 5k run does allow for a bit more variety in your diet.

There are so many benefits to exercise. Boosting energy, keeping mobility (always a bad sign when I go "oof" when getting up and down) making the most of bone density to reduce osteoarthritis, creating a leaner build.

Do that 5, 10, 15 minutes. It's easier to fit in than 2 hours at the gym and you'll do it more. It does add up to something useful!

Good post OP, another thing is that exercise doesn't need to take place in a gym, in fact spending a fortune on gym membership and new clothes can often lead to disappointment in the results, whereas nobody ever regrets going for a 15 minute walk.

Lovely post OP! Couldn't agree more and getting rid of an all or nothing mindset around exercise has changed everything for me. I now regularly run 10-13k and that's really thanks to losing my perfectionism over running. I will stop if I need or want to and walk. And some of my best running memories have been when I walked and had my runner's high and took in the scenery of my walk back home.

Just going for a run and accepting it however it goes, whether I stop or not, has meant I've not lost motivation and now running is a favourite hobby of mine. Thank you for your post as I think it is such an important message

@Xtraincome

I actually have loads of choice for decent walks where I live so should make use of that often.

Yes me too