Body Balance and Walking

Even though I'm injured currently and am not allowed to run, sitting still is not really an option! Resting is a large part of recovery of course, but keeping active at a lower intensity/impact is important for maintaining mobility and flexibility of the muscles and joints. It also helps me to stay emotionally positive!

Yoga and Body Balance Classes

As well as swimming, I have been mixing it up with gym classes and walking. Yoga is a favourite, but I have also gone back to Body Balance classes at the Virgin Active I signed up to- Body Balance is one of the Les Mills classes, and is a mixture of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates set to music. The idea of this workout is to build flexibility and strength and leave you feeling centered and calm- perfect for me at the moment!

I love the flow of doing yoga-style movements to music with a beat, it's very different compared to having a more relaxing background sound. Each 3 minute track focuses on a different element- the class starts with a Tai Chi warm-up and moves onto sun salutations, balancing poses, twists, Pilates core work (ouch!), and finishing with savasana. You definitely work up a sweat throughout, although it's low impact and easily modified to accommodate injuries or lack of flexibility!

Walking
I've been trying to go for short walks in my lunch breaks to get a bit of movement into my working day, and break up the constant sitting at a desk. This is especially nice seeing as the weather has been so sunny recently! At the weekends, I've been trying to go for longer strolls, even if these include ice cream and are pretty relaxed 🙂

Beddington Park 4.07miles

Wimbledon Common 5.16miles