WELLBEING MONTH: 5 Top Tips for Staying Flexible and Mobile during Lockdown 3 from Nicky at Progress Soft Tissue Therapy
As part of our focus on Wellbeing this month, we asked Nicky at Progress Soft Tissue Therapy to give us his five top tips for staying flexible, mobile and de-stressed (as far as is possible!) as we make our way through Lockdown 3.
In this current climate, our health and wellbeing are as important as ever. However, due to having to spend longer periods at home, it is harder to stay as active as is good for us. A lot of the people I see in my clinic with muscle and soft tissue issues are as a result of excessive muscle tightness, overuse injuries, muscle weakness and stress-related issues. All of these factors can leave you having less muscle flexibility and joint mobility.
When an area of our body feels tight, less flexible, less mobile and sometimes painful it can cause muscle imbalances making our regular activities feeling a little more difficult to do. Soft Tissue Therapy & Sports Massage is a proven way to restore muscle and soft tissue flexibility and joint mobility and reduce pain. Unfortunately however like a lot of you due to the current UK COVID restrictions I am unable to open and offer these treatments.
The good news is there are ways you can help to relieve some of these issues at home. Here are some of my suggestions to help:
1. Focus on Deep Breathing Using Your Nose
If you suffer from neck, shoulder and back pain it may be linked to how you breathe. More deep breathing with your nose encourages breathing using your diaphragm and some of your core muscles. Breathing deeply this way has also been linked to reducing stress and muscle tension. (1)
2. Get Moving at Home
Doing simple exercises at home is a great way to work your muscles, get active and boost your mobility indoors. For more of a challenge, you can use items around the house to add resistance to your workout. (2)
3. Yoga and Pilates
Yoga and Pilates are great also great ways to work on your muscles flexibility and joint mobility. Try looking for online classes with an instructor to get the most out of a session. (Independent Oxford hint – try our Directory for a number of yoga and fitness studios running online classes – free and paid – during lockdown).
4. Sleep
Making sure we get enough sleep is something we all know we should do but it can be harder than we think. However, sleep has been shown to help to reduce muscle pain, boost muscle recovery and have a positive effect on lowering stress. So when you can, getting to bed earlier is an easy win. (3)
5. Outside is Free!
In my experience, everyone’s idea of an enjoyable activity can be different. But for many, simply going for a walk or run is a great way to boost your physical and mental wellbeing and is a great way to get outside and add some much needed social interaction (just make sure you are following the guidance!) (4)
With all of these tips, consistency is your key to better improve your overall health and wellbeing.
If you would like more information or help with an issue or injury or you would like a prescribed exercise routine you can get in touch or book an online appointment through my website and we can have a chat and discuss ways to help you.
CONTACT DETAILS
nicky@progressmassage.com / 07799 464304 / www.progressmassage.com
References
- The Effect of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Attention, Negative Affect and Stress in Healthy Adults. Xiao Ma,1,2 Zi-Qi Yue,3 Zhu-Qing Gong,4,5 Hong Zhang,3 Nai-Yue Duan,3 Yu-Tong Shi,3 Gao-Xia Wei,5,6,* and You-Fa Li2,*
- Resistance training is medicine: effects of strength training on health. Wayne L Westcott
- Sleep deprivation reduces the recovery of muscle injury induced by high-intensity exercise in a mouse model. Deng-Fa Yang 1, Ying-Ling Shen 2, Changwei Wu 3, Yu-Sheng Huang 4, Po-Ying Lee 5, Ng Xin Er 6, Wen-Ching Huang 7, Yu-Tang Tung 8
- Sleep deprivation reduces the recovery of muscle injury induced by high-intensity exercise in a mouse model. Deng-Fa Yang 1, Ying-Ling Shen 2, Changwei Wu 3, Yu-Sheng Huang 4, Po-Ying Lee 5, Ng Xin Er 6, Wen-Ching Huang 7, Yu-Tang Tung 8
