Daily

Now that we’re a couple of weeks into the new year and perhaps the resolutions are getting hard to keep, it is time to talk about daily maintenance, which may not be the sexiest topic ever, but it’s important.

 

Those of us who are new to exercise, or who have returned to it after a timeout, may discover, after a while, that we have some body parts that hurt or ache or otherwise unpleasantly remind us of their existence.  (Anyone who has an injury should seek medical attention.  I am not a doctor or physical therapist.  I do not diagnose or treat.)  It is worth taking a bit of time to do small daily things to mitigate these effects.  And, the good news part is that most of the things feel good!

 

When we work out, whether we are doing cardio or strength training, we want to end with stretching.  However, we ALSO want to stretch on rest days, holidays, and days that end in y.  Stretching builds flexibility.  It helps us avoid injury.  It feels good.  And, the day after a heavy workout day, it can make the difference between, say, cursing at every single stair in the house and coping nicely.

 

Something that helps with our stretching is self-myofascial release (SMR).  This is all that stuff with foam rollers and tennis balls or other fancy tools.  If we do some SMR before we stretch, we get more out of the stretch.  At first, we may find SMR painful.  Pressure is what helps to realign our muscle fibers (think about massage).  We need to respect our own pain tolerances, of course, but we may discover that it becomes a “hurts so good” kind of thing.

 

Those of us who have old injuries may need to add a few more things to the daily maintenance list.  Remember those exercises our physical therapist gave us after the surgery/injury?  Those are useful in an ongoing way to remind us about correct form, strengthen weakened spots in a targeted way, and warm up the affected body parts.

 

It might sound like a lot, but all this might take about 15 minutes.  We can find that time somewhere, when the casserole is in the oven, when the baby is asleep, when the kissing part of Star Wars Episode Two comes on…  It will really make a big difference.