My love of exercise

I have always been a very active person. From growing up in a karate club, training 6 days a week to becoming an aerobics instructor in my early twenties. Being older now, I don’t push myself as hard as I used to, but I still make exercise a high priority in my life.

I love doing spinning classes and my latest enjoyment is LesMills Body Combat. A body combat class seriously gets my blood pumping, heart racing and I feel like I am in my own personal karate-boxing-martial arts studio. When my endorphins kick-in, I get such an exercise-high and after I completed the class I just feel absolutely AMAZING!!

I am doing a talk in a few weeks time about exercise and the role exercise plays in our health. I was just reminded again about how important regular exercise is for us, for our health, our well-being, our quality of life and especially for disease prevention. I think it is really important to assess in which activity category you fall.

In which category do you fall at the moment?

1. Sedentary (0-1 hours per week)
2. Lightly active (1-2 hours per week)
3. Moderately active (2-3 hours per week)
4. Active (3-4 hours per week)
5. Very active (5+ hours per week)

I used to fall in the very active category and probably did between 14-16 hours of exercise per week. I must admit, I think that was WAY too much at the time. Exercise is very good, BUT overtraining is NOT good at all. You have to remember that exercise causes inflammation and it is important to counteract the inflammation on an ongoing basis. If you are doing more than 5+ hours worth of exercise per week, then eating an anti-inflammatory rich diet can be very helpful. Add lots of turmeric, berries, salmon, and dark leafy greens to your diet. Also include the right amounts of protein and carbohydrate to help your body recover. If you want to relieve muscle tension and soreness, then an Epsom Salt bath can do wonders for your aching body!!

Here are my 5 top tips for healthy exercise:

• Start low & slow. If you have been a little cough potato, then doing a 5K run for your first session might not be the best idea. Slowly build up from light activity to moderate to more intense exercise over a period of time.
• Listen to your body. You know your body better than anyone, so if something doesn’t seem right to you, take a modification that fits your needs. It’s easy to sometimes feel pressure to do what those around you are doing, especially when you’re working out in a group setting. Find the pace that works for you and individualize your workout to your needs – sometimes that’s a long child’s pose, sometimes it’s running an extra mile. We change daily, so be patient and check in with yourself often.
• Do a proper warmup and cooldown, and include stretching before and after exercise. Imagine a frozen rubber band – it would snap if you pulled it, right? Now imagine a warm rubber band – it can stretch much farther and is much more flexible. Your muscles are the same. You need to warm-up and stretch them out before you dive into vigorous exercise.
• Include a variety of different types of exercise during your workouts. Don’t just do strength or resistance training. Include flexibility, endurance and balance exercises as well. A strong core is just as important as being fit, having a lot of stamina or a toned body.
• Take at least one to two days off from exercise per week. To prevent injury it is important to give your muscles one or two days of complete rest to repair and to rebuild. If I for example do an intense body combat class on a Monday, I make sure to rest on the Tuesday or I will do a light yoga session. Make sure to always prioritise rest in between your workouts.