The Fear Factor
Do you have a Pituitary condition or other LTHC?
Are you capable of exercising to the level you aspire to?
Do you have reservations about returning to your pre-COVID exercise regime?
Do you want to return or have you found home routines that you want to maintain?
Worried that support for this will be removed?
How do we get to where we want to be?
Having a personalised training and exercise programme is definitely the way to go!
The focus here is firstly to address our anxieties around exercise, avoid making direct comparisons to others where possible and changing our perspective towards activity. We will utilise Activity Alliance and MIND for this. Although we are targeting those with LTHC’s and disabilities these worries can be felt equally by those who provide us with our sessions and those without a medical condition to manage. The aim is to support exercise at home long term until confidence is gained and a full return to old exercise regimes can be conquered. Or in fact news ones adopted or adapted. A vital component is not to compare yourself to others. Your journey is what matters.
It’s important that we initially understand our anxieties, what we fear for ourselves or for others as we make a return to exercise. MIND have produced a very simple but supportive page entitled Returning To Sport & Exercise As Lockdown Eases . This covers what you may be feeling, managing different thoughts and concerns and practical steps you can take to manage these. Simple things like worry about travelling to a venue, picking up where you left off or returning to memberships you may already have, are all addressed. There is a great quote from a supporter and understanding friend who says;
‘I'm a social butterfly and dying to run with people but I have some very anxious friends who I fear won’t join in for a while. As long as people realise that's ok too, and to just go when they are ready.”’.(https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/sport-physical-activity-and-mental-health/get-active-feel-good/individuals-return-to-play/)
Sharing these thoughts and feelings can have a positive outcome and asking for help is not a bad thing. We need to recognise them, resist the pressure to just get up and go and break things down into manageable chunks. Many have gained more of an insight into Mental Health over the course of the pandemic. On the other hand you may be excited and happy and ready to get straight back to it. That is great but still needs to be managed safely to avoid a decline in health, ensuring fitness is increased carefully and slowly so as not to find your health going backwards which could in turn cause mental stress and then fear, then a downward spiral. This could put health at risk and increase fears and barriers to participation which need to be avoided.
As a starter we can look at Adrienne's Story via Activity Alliance. Fearful Of Returning To Normal which explores the reasoning behind that fear and how we can then approach getting back in sync with old and new exercise activities. Worried that online classes will cease that allowed connection with other class members has been helpful through lockdown but walking difficult, and now a fear of crowds and managing social distancing as well as driving to classes that are further away.
If you have been exercising at home and cycling on an exercise bike or running on a treadmill or training with your local football team via zoom, that’s great. BUT when you venture outside remember that there is the weather to consider, things look different and so you may get distracted more easily and you will be using new muscle groups. So start slow and build, maintain the exercise you have been doing at home so you don’t loose what you have worked so hard to achieve in difficult circumstances.
It’s crucial that communication between participant, instructor, coach or friend is open and honest. Coaches/Instructors will have their own fears around delivering safe and effective programmes that adhere to government guidelines. On top of that is ensuring that everyone is treated as an individual.
Even with the same medical condition no one is the same. That’s why medication is prescribed according to individual needs and with many people who have long term health conditions having more than one condition to consider, the impact and outcome will be tailored to your own needs and abilities.
Within sport and exercise this is commonly undertaken.The desired outcome may be the same for each person but coaches/instructors and trainers automatically deliver differently for individuals or small groups of differentiated participants in order to achieve personal goals, specific delivery of a position or level. Delivery for those with LTHC’s should be no different, but it’s being aware of that extra element of concern and difficulty faced and being open to this that is how you get the best fit and an extra element that coaches/instructors need to consider. This can be very daunting especially with life threatening medical conditions to factor in.
Safety is an important factor to consider. Perhaps signing up for lateral flow testing kits from Gov.uk could make you feel more confident. Encourage your family, friends, carers, colleagues and exercise buddies to do so as well. A simple and easy test to carry out at home with the step by step guide.That way you can all remain safe and well. Actively encouraging others to get their vaccines will also be helpful.
Let’s Get Moving Through The Work Of Activity Alliance. An organisation that strives to provide and deliver inclusive activity. Get Active at Home is an amazing resource page which we will utilise in detail to explore opportunities open to people with LTHC’s/Disabilities. These allow us to explore activities and opportunities safely and happily before the need to push yourself outside your comfort zone and back into formalised activity outside the home. For many it is vital to also consider the opportunities for prolonged home exercise if that is the preferred outcome so it can be managed and sustained.
The links on this page lead you to some of the best online content and support including;
1. Join The Movement Stay In Workouts helps with activities in and out of the home but also finding fitness challenges to keep you motivated, pacing, setting goals and staying hydrated.
2. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists provide some great workouts for target audiences and include activities to help prevent falls, focus on respiratory conditions and even the road to recovery from COV-ID19.
3. Everyday could be a Sofa Superhero workout! Delivered by fitness instructor Kris from Wheely Good Fitness. Just search for the hashtag #SofaSuperheroes on social media to find his sessions.
4. Then you can get impairment specific advice for those who are Blind, have Cerebral Palsy, Dwarfs, the Deaf and amongst others those needing wheelchairs.
5. Next the STEP programme is something that it quick, simple and easy to implement. It underpins everything we have looked at above. Again produced by Activity Alliance it is a simple method that can help you to adapt an exercise to make it work for you. The image below shows this and essentially looks at how you change one or more of the 4 key elements which are;
Space
Task
Equipment
People
This is a concept used in schools for many years through TOP Play and Sport Cards produced by The Youth Sport Trust. Making PE lessons accessible to all children and giving teachers the confidence to deliver to their whole class in the same way they would for a literacy or numeracy class. It works equally well for adults and especially those with limited movement, high fatigue levels and beginners. So once the activity is chosen you simply apply these rule changes to your activity.
Following on from this is Access Sport which produces Weekly e-newsletters entitled ‘Supporting You Through COVID-19’ with their Inclusive Activities These help direct club members and families to all the fantastic opportunities available to keep moving both at home and back in the community as a link to progress.
There is a significant amount of content to explore including training, inclusive gyms, weekly blog posts and a sporting calendar. These will become more practical and important as and when you are ready to move forward and venture outside of your home! However, it’s great to remember that sticking with exercise at home is still a fantastic option long term. It’s about what you do as opposed to where it takes place and everyone sets their own pace. There are no right or wrong places to start, finish or try. Everyone is different and will ease into everyday life as and when ready. Enjoy the opportunities and make your own progress towards an active lifestyle.
MIND - Returning To Exercise As Lockdown Eases
Activity Alliance
Adrienne’s Story - Fearful of Returning to Exercise
Get Active At Home
Sport England - Join The Movement
STEP Process for Adapting Exercise
Corona Virus Information - Chartered Society Of Physiotherapists
Access To Sport - Inclusive Activities
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