Summer has a habit of arriving before our bodies are quite ready for it. After months of winter, more time indoors and perhaps a little less movement than usual, everything can feel slightly tighter than it did in March.
Now is a good time to start loosening up.
You don’t need an extreme fitness programme or an immediate assault on the gym. A few weeks of regular, gentle stretching can help improve flexibility and mobility. More importantly, it gets the body moving again before summer brings longer walks, swimming, surfing, gardening and days spent on the beach.
Start Slowly And Keep Moving
The simplest approach is to start with gentle movements rather than trying to force a deep stretch. Move your shoulders, hips, ankles and spine through comfortable ranges of motion. Add some easy squats, lunges, calf stretches and slow rotations.
Calisthenics can also be remarkably simple. Bodyweight squats, gentle push-ups, leg raises and controlled movements don’t require equipment. Meanwhile, even ten or fifteen minutes at home can become a useful daily routine.
The objective isn’t to wake up sore the following morning. It’s to become a little looser and more supple as the weeks pass.
Yoga And Pilates In St Francis
Yoga and Pilates are excellent options because both combine controlled movement with strength, balance and flexibility. There are also plenty of yoga and Pilates options around St Francis, so you don’t necessarily need to work it all out yourself.
A good instructor can help you start at an appropriate level and avoid turning your first enthusiastic session into three uncomfortable days of walking sideways.
Consistency matters more than intensity. Two or three gentle sessions each week can gradually make movement feel easier.
Your Own Summer Beach Club
There’s still time before summer gets properly underway. Start stretching now, keep moving and gradually build a little strength and mobility.
By the time the warm mornings arrive, you’ll hopefully be moving more freely, feeling more supple and heading into summer with the chassis loosened up and ready for swimming, walking, surfing or simply heading down to your very own beach club.
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Further reading:
Early Summer Or Late Winter? – Notes From The Editor
The Lost Art Of Going Away And Doing Diddly
Réunion Island Delivers A Different Kind Of Indian Ocean Escape For South Africans
When your world starts to press in, Happy Hour awaits in Mauritius
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