The Morning After…Exactly What Did Happen To Your Legs?

So after a good workout, you go to bed feeling physically tired but great. The next morning, your alarm goes off, and your plan is to jump out of bed, all fired up for another session.  But oooow it hurts. You can hardly move, you plummet to the floor and crawl to the bathroom. After loosening up a little in the shower, you’re ready to attempt the stairs. Backwards is the only option. What exactly has happened?!! 

DOMS: The Exercise Tax

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness  (DOMS) is the technical name for that achy, stiff and fatigued feeling you get in your muscles following an intense workout. The sensation can range from mild discomfort to debilitating pain.

Typical symptoms include weakness, pain, tenderness, stiffness, and swelling of the muscles. These don’t all occur straight away though. Loss of strength usually happens within the first 48 hours, and it can take up to 5 days to fully recover. Pain and tenderness usually peaks after 1-3 days and will typically disappear within 7 days. Stiffness and swelling can peak after 3-4 days and this can take up to 10 days to return back to normal.

Don't worry. It's not as bad as it sounds or feels. Some people even relish and look forward to the DOMS sensation kicking in! Think of it as a natural consequence of you challenging your body to a new level. Sometimes referred to as the exercise tax, DOMS is often an unavoidable reward for seriously hard work. 

When Pain Isn't DOMS

As we mentioned earlier, DOMS occurs hours after you've finished your workout. This is very different from an acute pain that arises abruptly during an activity. Pain that stays with you or gets worse as you exercise is also a strong indicator of a problem that's not DOMS. Additionally, pain around your joints (eg knees, hips, back, pelvis, elbows or ankles) could be a more serious issue that should be checked out. 

What Causes DOMS?

You often hear people blaming DOMS on an excessive build up of lactic acid. However, this theory was debunked about 10 years ago when studies demonstrated that lactate levels in the blood rapidly returned to normal within an hour of exercise. As DOMS doesn’t usually hit you until around 24 hours after a training session, it can therefore be assumed that lactic acid is not the culprit.

Current theory suggests that DOMS is caused by microscopic damage to your muscle tissue. Your body then responds to this damage by triggering inflammation and swelling, which adds to your sensation of pain and discomfort.

The degree of tearing and inflammation depends on how long, how hard and what type of exercise you do. However, you’re more likely to suffer from DOMS if you:

1. Start exercising after not having done it for a while.

2. Do a type of exercise that your body isn’t used to (ie. a runner playing tennis for the first time).

3. Increase the intensity or duration of your workout (ie. a runner doing a tough speed work session, or going for a much longer run than normal).

4. Focus on exercises that involve eccentric movements, where muscles are lengthened as they resist a force (Eg, downhill running, walking down stairs, landing on the ground following a jump, the downward part of a press up etc)

Your Pain Is Not In Vain

The good news is that all of this pain and discomfort is not totally unproductive.  The underlying DOMS process is all about repair and regeneration. As a result, your muscles are becoming stronger and less likely to be damaged in future.

You're Not Getting DOMS, What’s Gone Wrong?

It’s been 3 days since you pushed your body through an intense workout, but you still don’t feel sore.  Where’s that post-exercise pain and tenderness that you’d almost grown to love? You can’t believe you didn’t work hard enough, so why don’t you feel achy like you did a few weeks ago?

Thankfully, a lack of soreness doesn't relate to a lack of progression, or that you’re not trying hard enough during your workouts. Your body is very quick to adapt to the demands of exercise, and with experience, it becomes much more efficient at dealing with muscle damage. Basically it has less of a shock to the system to deal with.

So don’t get addicted to the idea of post-exercise muscle soreness, it’s merely an indicator of tissue trauma. A red face and sweaty workout gear coupled with an inner glow and a smug feeling are the true indicators of a hard workout!

Just don't give up when it starts getting tough!

Heather

Exercise The Mind As Well As The Body To Revive Your Spirit

We all know that exercise is good for your body, whether that’s losing a few inches or simply feeling healthier, but exercise is also good for the mind. Kate Dorward, HA fitness trainer, shares a few useful facts and tips to help motivate you, achieve results by introducing a few simple changes to your training programme and revive any flagging spirits.

Exercise for the mind:

• A healthy body equals a healthy mind. Taking regular exercise is proven to enhance your mental function. Exercise boosts your circulation, getting more oxygen and glucose (the brain’s only source of energy) direct to your brain.
• Most of us know that exercise releases endorphins, otherwise known as happy hormones.  Amazingly these clever little mood enhancers can lift your spirits for up to 12 hours after exercise – that’s about 11.5 hours longer than the lift a bar of chocolate gives you!
• Research has proven that 20 minutes of exercise can significantly improve your body image. 
• The best times to exercise are at around 10am or 5pm. Not only is this when your body is physically strongest and nicely warmed up, your adrenaline levels are also at their peak therefore making your mind sharp.
• Set yourself some realistic goals e.g. to drop a dress size/ do exercise 3 times a week, and help yourself stick to them by sharing your goals with someone else. It’s a fact that you’re much more likely to succeed than if you keep your aims to yourself.

Exercise for the body:

• Can’t find the time to fit in exercise? You really don’t need an hour for it to count. Exercise is accumulative - 10 mins walk here and 10 mins vigorous gardening there all really add up. Before you know it, you’ll have done your recommended 30 mins per day and not even put on your gym kit.  So next time you walk to the station/park/shops, push yourself to walk super fast for a few mins and you’ll look and feel better in no time.
• Exercise, especially weight bearing exercise like running and toning using weights are really important in helping to prevent osteoporosis later on in life.
• Ladies, if the words ‘weight training’ fill you with dread at the thought of looking muscle bound, fear not! Unlike men, our genetic make-up makes it hard for us to bulk-up. Training with weights should be included in your fitness programme at least twice a week to help build lean muscle – this is crucial in improving your body shape whilst helping increase your metabolism.
• Hate running? Walking is a fantastic way of burning fat and getting your legs and bum into shape.  Get the technique right and you will burn 15-30% more calories per walk. Next time you hit the pavement remember to walk tall, shoulders back and down, tummy pulled in and to really push through  off through your toes to lengthen your stride, get your glutes (bottom muscles) firing and get a speedy pace up.
• Drink!! Water that is... Dehydration is a major cause of over eating, lethargy and poor performance.

Follow these 10 tips, and you'll soon start to not only look but feel happier and healthier!

Kate Dorward

These Feet Were Made For Walking!

I’ve recently come across a brilliant website called www.walkit.com, the urban walking route planner.  Type in your starting and finishing point, and it’ll provide you with a map and detailed walking route description. You can choose either the most direct way, or a route that avoids pollution and busy areas. It’ll also tell you the distance, how long the walk will take, how many hills you’ll have to climb and how many calories you’ll burn.

So dump the car, put on a pair of comfy shoes and head out of the door. Walking has countless health benefits, it’s free, you don’t need any equipment, and you already know how to do it!

Heather

Exercising The Winter Blues

Hands up who has looked out of the window recently and been turned cold by the thought of exercise? You could be forgiven, but think again because maintaining or even starting a new fitness regime in the winter is actually proven to boost your immune system, stave off winter blues and set you up perfectly for wearing those skimpy summer clothes.

There are in fact loads of reasons why it’s worth getting kitted-up and braving the chilly conditions for a workout. So, from what to wear to how to tell if you’re well enough to do exercise, here are just a few tips from Kate Dorward, HA Fitness Personal Trainer, to help motivate you into action.

Avoiding Winter Weight Gain

The average person puts on 7 to 12 lbs (approx 3 to 5 kg) each winter, mainly thanks to Christmas excesses and because during the short, cold and miserable winter days, we crave comfort foods to lift our spirits. Added to that, exercise often takes a back seat in extreme weather conditions. But just because it’s winter doesn’t mean going into exercise hibernation.

Winter does boast cool, crisp, bright days where a layer of shimmering frost has never made your local park look more magical, but even when it’s not like that and it seems like it’s been raining non-stop for as long as you can remember, there is reward for braving the elements. Those who make the effort to get out for a walk or a run on these days will testify that they often get the most satisfaction from their achievement.

Not only does getting out of the house to do some exercise get you safely out of reach from the biscuit barrel, it will help you boost your energy, blitz body fat and beat cravings.

Be Prepared

The key to ‘enjoying’ exercise in inclement weather is wearing the right kit.

Wear several layers, including a hat and gloves, to keep you warm, especially as you warm up and cool down. During the main section of your work out you should get pretty warm, so make sure your top layers are light so they can be easily stowed or tied around your waist. If it’s raining, a cap to keep the rain off your face, and a water-proof coat are a must, as once you’re wet you will cool down very quickly.

Spend longer warming up to avoid injury, and think about keeping your cool down short, perhaps completing stretches from the warmth and comfort of your home.

Get Your Baby Prepared Too

Taking your baby out in the worst of the weather might seem odd, but fresh air is always good for little lungs and a healthy dose of oxygen does wonders for relaxing babies.

Provided your little one is layered up too and has a hat and gloves, as well as a snuggly suit and/or cosy toes to nestle into, then they should be happily cocooned in their buggy. Always have your rain cover to hand, not just  to avoid getting wet but also because it will protect your baby from the chilly winter wind, which can make it feel colder than it really is.

The Ultimate Cold Busting Remedy

As already mentioned, exercise boosts your immune system. Regular exercisers are proven to suffer from fewer ailments and to bounce back better following illness.

What if you already have a cold? Is it safe to exercise or should you cosy yourself in at home until you feel better again? Of course it’s down to you to decide, but the general rule of thumb is that provided you don’t have a temperature and your symptoms are from the neck up, then a bit of fresh air and some gentle exercise are helpful ways of helping clear a stuffy nose.

If you are running a fever, or are experiencing symptoms from the neck down, then you are excused and a date with the duvet is perfectly legitimate and necessary to get you back on your feet.

Mum’s have the added worry of their little ones health. If your baby has a sniffle is it wise to expose them to the icy air or will that make them worse? The same rule applies: provided your baby is not running a temperature and is only suffering a mild head cold, then getting them out of a stuffy environment and into the fresh air is generally regarded as a good idea.  As mum’s ourselves, we can also vouch that a change of scenery is always helpful in calming a grisly tot feeling a little out of sorts!

Summer Is Just Around The Corner...

A final word: if you’re currently hiding under thick baggy jumpers, remember there are fewer than six weeks until spring. So if you want to be ready to shed the layers and wear your skimpier wardrobe with confidence, now is the time to start putting in the effort!

Kate Dorward
HA Fitness Personal Trainer, Wimbledon Buggyfit Instructor and Mum of Ella and Freya

Pleasure or Pain: What Drives You?

Understanding your motivation for getting fit is the first stage in bridging the gap between sitting on a sofa thinking about exercise, and actually going out and doing it.

Identifying the triggers that drive you, and using them as a springboard to getting and staying fit and healthy, is the key to success.  The more you focus on these, the more likely you’ll be able to fire up your enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle.

So what encourages you more, the carrot egging you on or the stick beating you up?

Running Away From Pain

The stick is something that you want to move away from, you may like to think of it as a form of pain. It could be a health issue you want to stay clear of such as obesity and heart disease, or physiological problems like stress or depression.

The catalyst could be your doctor dropping some strong hints, or a friend or family member suffering from these complaints.

The motivation comes from your fear of the stick and wanting to take action to avoid it at all lengths. If you keep reminding yourself of this potential beating, it can be a really powerful self- motivator.

Try taking measurements or photos of how your body is changing as you get leaner and fitter. Look back at these and remind yourself that you don’t want to go there again!

Pursuing Pleasure

The pursuit of pleasure can also be a very powerful self-motivational tool. This is the carrot, or aspiration. It’s about wanting satisfaction by achieving something significant. For example, running a marathon, racing a PB, losing 2 stone etc.

Setting realistic goals and bite-sized targets is key. It doesn’t have to be a marathon or reaching a specific weight. It could be completing 3 workouts a week, or managing to run up a particular hill.

Visualisation can be a very powerful motivational tool. Picture yourself finishing a race or buying clothes in a smaller size. Imagine how good you’ll feel, and how proud you’ll be of your achievement.

Treat yourself when you achieve a step towards your goal. There’s no law against self-bribery!

Moving Beyond The Carrot & Stick

So what happens when you achieve your goals and the stick becomes a distant memory?

You may find that your motivation starts to diminish, so it’s important to plan ahead to avoid drifting backwards and having to start the whole cycle again.

Set new goals, challenges and targets and keep adding in variety by trying out different things. You may have moved from being in fear of the stick to wanting to pursue the pleasurable goals. Keep it interesting and inspiring and try to maintain the momentum. Look at what you’ve achieved and where you want to go next.

Don’t Stop Me Now!

Believe it or not, at some point you may actually find that you enjoy exercising. This is your ultimate goal, when fitness becomes a way of life and you’ll need less and less to rely on the stick or the carrot to keep you going. You train because that’s what you do and who you are.

Remember, regular exercisers don’t waste time sitting on the sofa weighing up the pros and cons of doing a workout, they just get on with it!