Kent Sport’s Strength and Conditioning Instructor, Chris Payne considers the positives that have come to light alongside the current challenges and takes inspiration for an exercise routine that can help us all.
I hope this week’s blog finds you all safe, well and staying at home.
Sunday 19 April 2020 was the first day when the grave realities of the coronavirus situation really hit home to me and my family. Let me explain, as we approached another three weeks in lock down, I am proud to say the Payne family have done our very best to help the NHS and stay at home. For five the weeks now we have only ventured out for daily exercise and to deliver essentials to Nan and Grandad’s doorstep.
Like many others we have been submersed in our own new way of life by avoiding shops, staying up to date via BBC news, and the only contact we have had with the “outside world” is friendly small talk with neighbours from afar and to clap the NHS every Thursday evening. On Sunday we took our walk out to deliver supplies to the in-laws (Nan and Grandad to the kids) and to drop off a painted rainbow onto the doorstep of a nurse who works at the William Harvey Hospital. The brief conversation we had (at distance) with this nurse hit home the realities of what our frontline NHS workers are dealing with right now, and I realised that despite reading it in the news, where we can distance ourselves from such stories, this IS happening very close to my doorstep.
More was still to come, that evening we sat down to watch the TOGETHER AT HOME music special on the BBC and I was moved by the most powerful musical performance I have ever seen or heard. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, performed a song called ‘River Cross’ and in the context of the worlds current situation I was simply amazed at the command of his voice, the brilliance of his lyric, and the talent of his musicianship. Music can be a powerhouse for meaning and evoke such memories that I will never forget Sunday the 19 April 2020 and all the sobering thoughts it delivered. . . . . . .
However, I believe it was Mary Poppins that said:
“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun”
So let us look at the positives. Around the world the skies above major cities are cleaner with less smoke, smog and pollution. In Africa, packs of Lions are laying out in the roads undisturbed. Closer to home there is a unified appreciation for the NHS and to all of those providing an essential service and continuing to work. Although we are avoiding each other daily, it appears that more people are actually talking to each other when out walking and neighbours are making an effort to talk to each other from across the street. Maybe this is the British steadfastness the queen has asked us to adopt, and it does not get more British than Captain Tom Moore approaching is 100th Birthday raising millions and millions and millions and millions of pounds for the NHS by performing 100 laps of his garden.
Let us all make 100 a magic number and aim to perform 100 body weight squats* a day whilst in lock down. You do not have to perform 100 in a single effort and you might have to build up to a 100 but those of you who can manage it why not do 5 sets of 20 every day or 4 sets of 25. Mix and match the numbers and sets to make it easier or harder, but the aim is to perform 100 (or set your own goal) a day for as long as lockdown continues.
*To perform a safe and effective body weight squat set:
Place your feet approx. shoulder width apart, head looking forward and back straight lower yourself to the floor by bending your knees as if sitting. Keep your feet flat on the floor throughout the movement and lower yourself ideally until the top of your thighs are parallel to the floor. You might benefit from pushing your knees out slightly as you lower and imagine sitting back down into a chair. Once at the bottom stand straight up and repeat. Squats can be a fantastic way to build leg strength, help with mobility, and assist cardiovascular exercise. Combine with long walks and Yoga for a nice exercise routine.
Stay well.
Wellness Wednesday is part of Kent Sport’s #KentSportStayWellAtHome series of daily blogs and vlogs to keep you positive during these unusual times. To be sure not to miss our updates, Like us on Facebook and follow on Instagram and Twitter @UniKentSports – we hope you enjoy and join in!