Isn’t ‘transition’ what our lives are about right now? From lockdown onto minimal flexibility, to stalling progressions, to revert forward and back to press on! It’s in our faces everyday.
So why would sport and exercise be any different? The question is how and what are the benefits. For this blog we look closely at The Active Essex All Together programme and their perspective. A follow up to previous blogs in this series where we have looked at it from an individuals perspective, then from a health perspective, to The We Are Undefeatables Campaign for exercise, started literally from the bottom upwards and now into this progression right through from simple activities to exercise classes to organised sports! This will hopefully support you in the ‘transition’ phase that we have now reached……………..
So let us begin ….
In week one of this series we asked a lot of questions;
Have we the fitness we need? Is it all about exercise? When I think deeper and now more than ever, fitness means being ‘fit’ to get fit and then transfer this into sport. Has the lockdown provision given enough for us to trust our bodies to perform at the level they were before and are the restrictions that some sports still face going to allow for this to happen? What about mental fitness? Has my daily visualisation ‘swim set’ enabled me to return to the pool with the confidence that I will be able to actually move properly or am I starting from scratch. Has my altered fitness programme and utilisation of my psychosis strategies in a progressive way enabled me to become mentally ‘fit’?
Through the progression shown we have answered many of these but this blog will aim to guide you to the unanswered questions. How well they are answered depends on your motivation, passion and drive to ensure that fitness, health and general well being are installed into your body for life. An opportunity if you like from this pandemic that can guide us into a better way of life. This will take time so let’s utilise Active Essex and the All Together programme to support us on our journey of discovery and coming to the start of our transition through the different levels we have already explored. This is a simple summary;
Looking through my own perspective of what fitness means to me as an individual to set the scene.
Then ‘Health’ and ‘readiness’ for returning to exercise through the perspective of health and Well-Being Charity The Pituitary Foundation. Catering for those who are bed-ridden to fully accessible exercise programmes.
Starting slow and maintaining gentle and careful beginnings to exercise regimes through the perspective of The We Are Undefeatables Programme.
(If you have missed any of these then you can find them at this link; https;//www.timetoheal.wixsite.com/pituitaryconditions/blog)
So to get us on our way some background on the All together Active Essex Programme and where we find ourselves directly from Hayley Chapman, The Relationship Manager- North Essex & Thematic Lead For Inclusion on her perspective;
‘Fitness is gained through participating in physical activity and sport. Our Active Essex All Together programme promotes the inclusive physical activity and sport opportunities available for people with disabilities or long-term health conditions (LTHC’s) across Essex. Our All Together ambassadors represent different sports and for each ambassador, fitness may mean something slightly different depending on the particular needs of their sport. We hope that through our ambassadors, people in Essex are being inspired and are finding sports or activities they enjoy and are building their own fitness through taking part.
You start to see the links building up???? Looks like we are coming full circle! Health and well being essential first, then fitness and then sport specific fitness. Moving forward right now though is a completely different scenario to the past, the way we approach things is very important for our mental health, physical health and our bodies in general. Fitness is a vital component of our everyday lives and especially right now as highlighted above. Be warned though the risks of not following a gradual and progressive and sensible return is vital.
However, there are different angles to take here and different needs that need to be met.
Chapman continues with some important background data;-
‘In addition to the sport/ activity specific fitness, of course fitness is important for overall health and wellbeing and the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to be fit and healthy to help reduce risk of associated ill-health. The NHS has promoted this with the recently launched Better Health campaign. Currently people with disabilities and LTHC’s are almost twice as inactive (less than 30 minutes a week) (39.8%) than people without a disability or LTHC (20.5%). Our aim through All Together is to increase the number of people with disabilities and LTHCs who are reaching 150 minutes and above of physical activity each week’.
So now onto the specific groups. Here we need to focus on those with LTHC and disabilities but recognise that within that there are differing groups and individuals and their needs before and after lockdown may well be very different. So here goes!
Those who already belong to a sports club or exercise club.
Those who have been inspired to exercise over the pandemic and are now wanting to move forward into a sporting environment or hour long exercise class.
Those who have been encouraged to do low level exercise at home and want to maintain that but increase the time they are active during the day or who haven’t yet got moving.
Although we have our focus groups (LTHC’s & Disabilities) the following show that this is a challenge right at the top level of sport. Here we are talking professional level sports and people who have been heavily involved in club participation. It is worth mentioning here that there are many athletes with underlying health conditions and they may have concerns. Even those at the highest level are unsure and so you can see why it is essential to be cautious on our return or new beginning. This is highlighted by this quote from ITFC Manager Paul Lambert who relayed his cautious approach to training about what level the players would be at and how they would proceed in a recent article on the club’s website;
“We need to see where the lads are with their fitness levels because they have not trained since March.That’s what the next five days will be about. Are they de-conditioned? Have they lost muscle mass? Is their range of movement down? They may come back in better condition with the break then when they left off, we don’t know so that’s what we need to look at and then we can plan from there’.(https://www.itfc.co.uk/news/2020/july/town-players-return-to-training/ 21st July 2020)
This is backed up further by Swim England with their planning To Return Document which is specifically aimed at swimmers in club scenarios and higher.
‘When planning for an athlete to return to training it is important to understand where the athlete is on their return, and what level of activity they have maintained during the detraining phase. When comparing training exposure during lockdown to ‘normal’ training metrics, what are the likely individual and collective gaps on initial return? Two major factors will affect an athlete’s ability to return to pre-training levels. Both the length of detraining and the volume of training which had been maintained during the detraining period’. (Swim England Guidance For Coaches - full details can be found at the end of this blog)
So as you can see there is help is at hand to help us navigate our journeys back or to begin a new one. The All Together programme has so much to offer so here’s a quick summary to get this moving again;
The All Together is exactly where we need to start when talking about LTHC’s. Although some of this could be crucial to anyone returning to exercise, who are inexperienced or train alone so have no coach to guide them. It’s also a great pro-active research opportunity for sports coaches and instructors to aid their understanding of the additional challenges being faced. The homepage can be found at this link:
There’s also a great newsletter which you can sign up to at the bottom of the home page.
Hayley Chapman is the lead of this programme and can be contacted at; hayley.Chapman@ActiveEssex.org or 07557168120
You can also send a message via the All Together Facebook Page and one of the team will get back to you quickly. (@EssexAllTogether)
Here’s a run down of some options to get things moving:
Within this you will find activities and advice broken down into these 4 sections:
1. Keeping Active and Well At Home.
As you have seen by the image 70% of adults said exercise helped manage their physical health during lockdown. For our physical and mental wellbeing, we need to make sure we stay moving!
Ideas here and this link includes vital COVID-19 advice from local Government and National Government and is a great step on the road to accessible participation as well as access to the programmes below.
2. Keep Essex Active Outdoors
This section will help you to plan activities outdoors with COVID-19 information around social distancing and as some research on the benefits of being outdoors. You can also access details of places to explain both locally and further afield.
3. Take Care Of Your Well Being
This is an essential part of your everyday life as the team at Active Essex re-iterate here:
‘It is so important, that during these uncertain times we stay active and connected. For positive mental health we need to keep moving, but understand that our anxieties, stress and worries are heightened. Take some of the steps below to keep in a positive head space as well as participating in some physical activity'.(https://www.activeessex.org/health-and-wellbeing/)
A vast array of opportunities including meditation, mindfulness, groups to join, simple tips, community groups and even a link to a Coronavirus Wellness Journal from Motivated Minds.
4. Try A YouTube Channel Workout - Now we are moving up a level!
Here you will find a weekly schedule of the activity being delivered online each week. There are so many different activities that you can try or of course just watch a few minutes of them to see what you might be able to do. So much choice! Plus you don’t need to be in Essex to access this amazing amount of activity and sport provision as the transition from lockdown to full access continues. It includes some great YouTube exercises programmes for all levels including Active Families, Gentle Exercise, High Impact, Teenagers and Health and Well Being. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll find you can sign up to the newsletter which will keep you well updated with new activities being offered all over Essex and believe me there are so many to choose from!
Still looking for Inspiration or just inquisitive about what we all get up to? Then look no further than the sports ambassadors. As Chapman mentioned in her quote the Ambassadors represent a vast array of disabilities, health conditions and sports so you could well find someone who wants the same as you! You can read about their experiences and achievements and even join the team! Details at the link below.
Not sure what activity that you want to do or have an idea but don’t know where to look? Try this handy activity finder to see what’s happening near to you!
For an example of the diversity on offer this link is for Coaches / Instructors and carers working with those who have Dementia can be difficult. You can find 10 top tips here.
So now it is down to you. How you get to where you want/need to be is a challenge and at no time like the present has it been better to get that going, really reflect on what will help our bodies. We have all been exercising in so many different ways and I know that my fitness has altered and adjustments made as I am sure yours has too and may have even decreased without the access to what you love to do closed off limits or cancelled completely. But you should never feel like you are doing this alone.
As you have seen there is plenty of support out there and something we at Time To Heal have realised is it’s good to ask for help when you need it. Now things are beginning to ‘click’ and we are grateful to be able to be a part of the programme delivery and supporting you all, but in doing so finding things we share that we can also utilise ourselves, which through a lot of trial and error we do.
We feel it’s worth a look at how much has happened over the last few months and with everything that you have read here you will see what a busy time it has been for Active Essex and The All Together Programme. Here is a summary of what has been achieved and should be celebrated in a very different 2020 and how they are planning to move forward in the same way that we hope you all manage to move forward into, whatever sport and exercise you would like to.
Remember slow and steady, not pushing ourselves too soon. Ensuring coaches do put in place the vital components to ensure that participants return and are assessed and pacing ourselves are key factors. Ensuring that you as a participant are as informed as you need to be and ask questions of coaches and instructors, especially if you are venturing into something new. Ensure they are open to supporting your needs and where necessary allow coaches to ask questions to support their knowledge and understanding of you, so that you are able to access the session at the correct level.
Finally, as promised…….A Resource For Coaches and Participants wishing to return to training in a measured, safe and controlled manner.
A further detailed and supportive link is a very comprehensive and precise piece by Swim Englandwho have produced a ‘Return To Training’ Guidance Book For Coaches. Although this is obviously designed with swimmers in mind it can be applied to any sport and goes into real depth with some great links as well. It’s a large document so my suggestion would be to scan through and find what YOU as a coach needs and things you may not already of thought of or you’ll be there forever. It is not intended to be a ‘closed’ book. Dip in and out as and when things occur with your participants and athletes. No matter what level you are coaching at there is relevance to it within the document. Also a great resource for athletes so they can recognise and highlight things that may help them return to their sporting environment feeling more knowledgeable, in control and mentally stronger.
Good luck, Stay Well, Stay Active, Stay Safe and most of all enjoy and embrace every second!
Coming up next week we shift to Mental health and Turn To ‘At One with Nature’. with lockdown and our exercise allowance making our open spaces more appreciated and pleasurable can we turn this to our advantage? After all, the exercise was always promoted as supporting our mental health so what is stopping us from venturing out or staying home and utilising the gardens and open spaces we have surrounding us. Do we really know what’s out there?
Like it Wild? Like it enclosed? We look at the opportunities that three TV programmes can offer that can kick start some inventive and intuitive activities that hit all the boxes!
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