body love
THE STRUGGLE: “Exercise
adherence is all about
habit,” explains Thamsin
Dunn, national master
coach, fi tness instructor
and fi rst aid for the
Australian Institute of
Fitness. “If you’ve had
time o and broken the
habit, it can be really
hard to get back into the
rhythm and start to enjoy
exercise again.” Those
fi rst few times that you
exercise after having an
extended break due to
illness, it can be so very
unpleasant (pounding
heart, burning lungs...)
you might be tempted
to give up altogether.THE STRATEGY: Let your
body guide you. If you’re
still fi ghting o an illness,
it’s best to leave o the
exercise or you’ll simply
end up diverting the
macronutrients and
energy to your muscles
and away from where
they need to be – which
is fi ghting the bug. Look
at where your symptoms
are. If they’re above the
neck (runny nose, sore
throat) it can be benefi cial
to do some light exercise
in a warm environment,
says Dunn. But if they’re
below the neck – muscle
aches, chest congestion
or a fever – you need to
rest. If you do feel better,
start o slowly. “Have a
couple of gentle workouts
and if you don’t relapse,
put the pedal down,”
she suggests. A good
rule of thumb is to wait
seven days after all your
symptoms disappear
before you go back to
full intensity.”THE STRUGGLE: So you
backpacked around
Europe for two months
and ate everything in
sight. Sure, lugging a
backpack around and
doing walking sightseeing
tours probably counted
for something, but the
sheer intake of calories
and alcohol most likely
outweighed it (literally).
Even if you’ve been out
adventuring for a good
long while, chances are
you still weren’t ready
to come home. And now
the last thing you want is
to surround yourself with
the bleak interior of a gym
when a week ago you
were soaking up the sun
on a tropical beach. Post-
holiday blues, right?THE STRATEGY: Instead
of settling into a boring
gym routine, keep the
adventure going by taking
up fun activities that can
double as workouts. Try
going to an indoor rock-
climbing gym for a big
adrenaline rush AND a
mean upper-body and
core workout – if you
like it, you can upgrade
to outdoor climbing one
day. Research the best
hikes in your state and
attempt all of them with
your friends. Try going
mountain-biking – that
quad burn will feel oh-so-
satisfying. If you’d rather
keep it zen, take up yoga
or pilates – the perfect
“by the beach” workout.
If none of that appeals
to you, use your trip as
daydream fodder when
you’re slogging it out
on the treadmill.
Kelsey Garlick #THE STRUGGLE:
Exercise now needs to
be baby-compatible so
hour-long gym sessions
are a bit unrealistic. “Your
body will have changed
shape, your ligaments
will be looser and your
energy reserves will be
diverted to making breast
milk,” says Dunn.THE STRATEGY: Try quick
home exercises you can
do with baby on board or
squeeze in while bub’s
asleep. Start with gentle
short walks with bub in
the pram or some baby-
weighted squats/lunges.
If you’re craving the social
aspect of fi tness, Dunn
suggests joining a mums-
and-bubs group. Call
around to fi nd the group
that’s right for you. Or
try Dunn’s simple baby-
based home workout:
WARM UP: (repeat once)- Jog on the spot
- 1 minute
- 20 bum kicks
- 20 side lunges
WORKOUT: (repeat circuit
3 times with 1 min rest
between each lap) - 25 squats (hold
baby to chest) - 15 push-ups (baby
on fl oor) - 20 lunges (hold
baby to chest) - 15 baby rows (do a
sumo squat, holding
baby between legs
and row bub toward
chest – be mindful
to support the neck) - 25 squats (hold
baby to chest) - 20 step-ups (baby
in buggy) - 30-second plank
(baby on fl oor)
COOL DOWN: Pop baby
on fl oor and stretch.
THE STRUGGLE: Maybe
you had a super-fast
metabolism during your
early twenties and just
didn’t feel the need until
now. Perhaps you just
couldn’t quite work up
the courage to enter a
gym (they can be kind
of intimidating at fi rst).THE STRATEGY: Start o
by booking in a session
or two with a personal
trainer. “PTs have great
technical knowledge and
can best advise you on
what exercise to do, but
more importantly they
give you a friendly face
to help you fi nd your feet
in the environment,” says
Dunn. Get them to run
you through how all the
machines at the gym
work, so you’re not too
intimidated the fi rst time
you jump on one. If you
decide to go it alone,
start out on the cardio
machines – treadmill,
cross trainer, bikes – as
most of these have control
panels that are easy to
use. And if you feel like
people are judging you,
“remember... everyone
who is in a gym had to
enter for the fi rst time at
some point in their life –
they may look big and
scary now, but once upon
a time they were brand-
new too!” reminds Dunn.
If it’s motivation you need,
recruit a friend. Having
someone else with you
makes it harder to bail
on a workout.THE STRUGGLE: If you’ve
seriously hurt something,
it’s understandable you’d
be cautious to get back
into exercise. Taking time
out to heal may have set
back your fi tness, too.THE STRATEGY: There are
three phases of an injury,
says Dunn. Infl ammation- the fi rst 72 hours post-
injury, in which your body
reacts by swelling to
restrict movement in the
area; repair – 4-6 weeks
post-injury, where the
body works to rebuild any
damage as fast as it can;
and remodelling – up to
six months post-injury.
Talk to a physio about the
best time to reintroduce
the injured body part to
exercise. You might fi nd
they recommend you do
some light- to moderate-
intensity cardio during the
repair phase – just be
careful not to aggravate
the injury. While you heal,
you can try workouts
that target other muscle
groups. Dunn suggests
the following swaps:
Shoulder/elbow injury:
“Any lower-body, body
weight exercises. Squats,
lunges and step-ups are
a great place to start.”
Knee injury: “Upper-body
exercises – push-ups,
bench press, shoulder
press, seated row,
dumbbell row...”
Hand injury: “Improve
your cardio fi tness by
running. Avoid anything
that requires you to grip.”
Back injury: “A back
injury needs to be treated
with respect. Follow your
physio’s instructions.
I WAS SICK
I WAS
INJUREDI HAD A BABY
I FORGOT
TO
EXERCISE...
FOR 28
YEARSI WENT ON
HOLIDAYSor a fever – you need toSNAPPER MEDIA
COSMOPOLITAN November 2015 145