Category: Exercise

How Journaling Can Help to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

When we were teenagers, many of us who didn’t grow up in the digital age, had diaries that we poured our hearts into. As children, we even had homework assignments that focused on writing down our thoughts. The act of journaling comes with many healing benefits and, as adults, although it might feel foreign initially to pick up a pen and jot down your thoughts, it can be extremely therapeutic.

Journaling comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s a way to note down ideas or keep track of thoughts. Other times it’s in “dear-diary” format: a way to record, reflect and process experiences. It can also be a way to help set goals or intentions for the future. But one of the main benefits is how it helps to relieve stress.

Journaling for Stress Release

Remember when we were told to write lists of “pros and cons” when facing a big decision? Journaling can work in much the same way and give us a sense of clarity.

The act of writing down your feelings and thoughts can help you to release your frustrations, pains, anxieties and stressors. It often brings a sense of release once you’ve worked through what may be stressing you out.

When you ask yourself how likely a “worst-case scenario” is, you gain a more realistic perspective on life. Getting your thoughts down on paper helps you identify stress-inducing thoughts and beliefs that can be distortions of reality – which is hard to do when you’re in an anxious state. A good example is using overgeneralised words like “always” or “never” to describe your experiences. Start taking note of the language you use and add to situations and experiences, as this will help you discover your mindset, and serve as a starting point for overcoming those feelings.

A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research conducted on chronically ill patients found that those who journaled regularly experienced fewer physical symptoms than those who did not. Thus the act of journaling can help you to feel physically better too! With prolonged stress hampering your immune system, journaling for boosting immunity from today is a way to begin accessing its benefits fast.

For more information on how journaling may help the immune system, click here.

Practical Tips For Journaling

So, how do you start journaling? These tips should help get you started.

1. If you don’t know what to start writing about, start with gratitude journaling. Begin by listing what you’re grateful for in the present moment. The act of practising gratitude alone helps to alleviate stress.
2. Establish a writing time that works for you. Some people like to journal as soon as they wake up, before starting their day. Others prefer to journal at night before they sleep. Carry a notebook with you and find a time of day that works naturally for you.
   (There is no pressure to write every day.)
3. Write for your eyes only. You can throw the pages away afterwards! This takes the pressure off.
4. Try using a pen and paper. Give yourself a break from technology, which can be distracting. (Oh, look, a WhatsApp message!) Try to be fully present when you journal.
5. Try different types of writing to find out what works for you. Begin by writing about yourself (who you are, what your dreams/goals are etc.) Thereafter, try a stream of consciousness – just free-flowing thought without attaching any judgement or analysis. If there is something you’re struggling with, try to write about it in the third person.

Prolonged anxiety can lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness. If you’re feeling overwhelmed to the point where your daily life is being affected, your behaviours are changing and you’re starting to feel depressed, reach out. Speak to your doctor, ask for a recommendation to see a psychologist or call the SADAG helpline: 011 234 4837.

If you need to find a doctor, click here for a list of doctors on the Medshield Network.

There are so many running apps available for download these days that choosing which ones will best support your fitness journey can be a tad overwhelming. To make things easier, we’ve broken down five apps that our experts feel are the most helpful, highly rated and best at giving you the data you want, so that you can improve your performance. These apps sync easily with smartphones and multiple tracking devices, and present data in user-friendly ways.

1. Strava

Strava uses your smartphone’s GPS to help track your runs, which is perfect for novice runners who are just starting out and don’t have all the professional gear yet. Simply press the start button and the app will record your run (or cycle). What adds to the app’s appeal is that it not only tracks distance, provides performance information and records data but is also a social media platform for athletes. One may connect with and follow other runners, offer congratulatory kudos for activities and goals reached, and comment on each other’s performance. Strava clubs also exist where communities set running challenges. Bonus: Strava creates a cute personalised year-end video with all your data.

2. TrainingPeaks

TrainingPeaks keeps records of your runs and performance, lets you know what heart rate zone you were training in and when you’ve reached a new threshold. It syncs to the aforementioned Strava app, as well as other apps and smart watches. Sports coaches use this app to set weekly programmes including training zones for their clients. Of course, you can use it as a tracking app too, but it certainly plays a big role in our new-age online coaching world.

3. Runkeeper

Owned by world-renowned running brand, Asics, Runkeeper is a running track app that helps users set goals, train for them with customised training plans and monitor runs and progress along the way. Its tracking feature and audio cues help with monitoring a runner’s pace, distance and keeps one motivated along the way. Coach in your ear? Yes! There’s also a great running community accessible via the app.

4. MapMyRun

The MapMyRun app, owned by sportswear brand Under Armour, maps your running route while offering popular routes to keep your routine wherever you are in the world. Bonus feature: the app syncs with your Under Armour “smart” running shoes. Track everything from pace, stride length and cadence, plus get personalised coaching tips along the way. Get real-time feedback while you work and post-run tips to get better. Analyse your data in the app or on the web page, then conquer that 5km challenge.

5. Zombies, Run

A fun app that motivates and tracks your runs,  Zombies, Run works by motivating you to run away from fictional zombies. The premise of the story:

You are a runner en-route to one of humanity’s last remaining outposts. They need your help to gather supplies, rescue survivors and defend their home. And you have another mission,  one they don’t know about! Intrigued? Walk, jog or run anywhere in the world and hear your mission through a set of headphones. If you’re chased by zombies you’ll have to speed up. Good luck!

So you’ve joined a running club, cycling group and got a personal trainer, but the gym jargon has you tongue-tied and confused? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our fitness terminology fact sheet. Now you can sweat less about the words and focus on those gains. Plus check out our fun Tabata workout below!

Fitness Terms

AMRAP – As Many Rounds As Possible

Most likely heard in a CrossFit box, this kind of structured workout is about pushing yourself as much as possible during a set time frame.

BMI – Body Mass Index

A measurement of a person’s weight with respect to their height. The World Health Organization defines an adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 as overweight; over 30 is considered obese; below 18.5 is considered underweight, and between 18.5 to 24.9 a “healthy” weight. (This is more of a guideline and not used as an accurate measure of health.)

To calculate your body mass index, divide your weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. For e.g. a woman weighing 65kg will divide that by her height, 170cm, squared. Mathematical equation: 65 / 1.7 x 1.7 (2.89) = 22.4 = a “healthy” BMI.

DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.

DOMS is an expression you may often hear as gloat, disguised as a moan:  “Yoh, I’ve got bad DOMS”. Any kind of exercise can lead to DOMS, which is a delayed onset of stiffness (usually about two days) after you’ve pushed yourself beyond what your body is used to. Likely culprits include running and weight training. You can help ease this by foam rolling and stretching, warming up and cooling down sufficiently.

EMOM – Every Minute On The Minute

In an EMOM workout, you start a new move with a specific rep count every minute. Upon completion of the reps, you get to recover for the rest of the minute. It’s a powerful way to structure a workout that plays with your work-rest period dynamically.

For e.g. In the first minute you must complete 20 burpees; in the second minute 40 bicycle curls; third minute 20 push-ups and so on. If you complete 20 burpees in 40 seconds, you can rest for the remaining 20 seconds.

FTP – Functional Threshold Power

A term tossed around casually by experienced cyclists that can be confusing for new riders. Simply put, FTP is the average number of watts that a rider can sustain in an hour. It acts as a measure of fitness/strength. Free apps, like Wattbike, offer a 20-minute FTP test that you can complete on a watt bike. Other apps, like Sufferfest, take it further by testing 4DP to give you an indication of FTP, AC, NM and MAP. It helps to dictate and tailor-make cycling training programmes and is a good way to track performance and improvement.

HIIT – High-Intensity Interval Training

The perfect example of HIIT workouts is the live online training sessions with Medshield Ambassador Mapule Ndhlovu for the Medshield Movement.  It’s tough and meant to keep your heart rate high. It’s a form of interval training: a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less-intense recovery periods – until you’re too exhausted to continue.

REP vs SET

Rep is short for repetition and one “rep” is the action of one complete strength-training exercise, like one biceps curl. Sets are how many reps you do in a row between periods of rest. When a coach says: “Do three sets of 20 reps of deadlifts”, not only will you be tired, but you’ll be doing 60 deadlifts with two breaks (one after each 20 is completed).

RPE – Rated Perceived Exertion

RPE tells which intensity level you should be exercising at and can help with training programmes and tracking fitness. For e.g. If you are doing an online workout and it says that your RPE should be “two”, then you know it’s easy, compared to “eight”, which is super tough. Most exercise is done at a moderate level of three or four. If your coach instructs you to run at an RPE of 7, then you’re running at 70% of your body’s effort. The Strava fitness app defines the scale as:

– Easy (1-3): May talk normally, breathe naturally and feel very comfortable.

– Moderate (4-6): Could talk in short spurts, breathing feels more laboured, within your comfort zone, but working.

– Hard (7-9): May barely talk, breathe heavily, outside your comfort one.

– Max effort (10): At your physical limitation or past it, gasping for breath. No talking.

TABATA – A type of HIIT (see above)
This structured exercise has a specific format that you might come across in a CrossFit box or other gym studios. TABATA consists of eight sets of fast-paced exercises, each performed for 20 seconds interspersed with a brief rest of 10 seconds. It originated in Japan as a way to improve cardio and increase metabolism. Use this method to create a fun/hard workout for yourself at home! Here is an example to try:

20 seconds skipping, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds lunges on the right, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds lunges on the left, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds push-ups, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds high plank with shoulder taps, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds high plank with foot jumps (in and out), 10 seconds rest
20 seconds burpees, 10 seconds rest
20 seconds jumping squats, 10 seconds rest

Vo2 Max – Maximum Oxygen Uptake

Vo2 Max is your maximum rate of oxygen consumption measured during exercises of increasing intensity, like running faster (gradually) on a treadmill or picking up speed on an exercise bike. It is a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness that you can use to determine how fit you are and track performance. This is expressed as millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute (ml/kg/min).

Why is it important to improve your balance? Having better balance means that your body will naturally be able to complete certain physical tasks more easily. If you’re an athlete, having better balance will increase your performance and make you more agile. For non-athletes improved balance means everyday tasks become easier, like walking on grass and having more control over your everyday movements. Plus, improving balance has also been shown to help prevent injuries!

5 Moves To Improve Your Balance

1. Bird Dog

Start in Table Top position, hands beneath shoulders, knees (two fists apart) directly beneath hips. Inhale as you lift your right arm and extend it straight out in front of you. At the same time lift the left leg and extend it straight out in front of you. Hold for 10 seconds and then change sides.

Advanced: Hold for 10 seconds and then add a few elbow-to-knee crunches and then extend back out into Bird Dog pose and back into the crunch.

2. High Lunge

From Table Top position, step your right foot forward between your hands and then lift up into a high lunge. Both feet are facing on separate tracks (hip-width apart), the back leg is straight, front knee bent so that the front thigh is as parallel to the mat as possible. Arms are raised up towards the ceiling, palms facing each other. Hold for 10 seconds and then change sides.

Advanced: Add a prayer twist to the side of the leg that is in front at the time and hold for an additional 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

3. Chair Pose

Bring your ankles and knees to touch and then sit down in an imaginary chair. Keep the chest lifted, eyes gazing straight ahead, arms raised up towards the ceiling. Shrug the shoulders away from the ears and sit down deeper into the chair. Rock back onto your heels. Hold for 20 seconds.



Advanced: Add toe taps to the Chair posture. Place a block or small object (like a water bottle or your mask) next to your right foot. Then, while in Chair pose, lift the right foot up and over the object, tapping down on the other side. Repeat five times, come back into Chair and then change sides.

4. Toe Stand

From a normal standing posture, hands and arms resting alongside the body (or crossed at your chest), start to come all the way up onto your toes. Hold for 10 seconds, then come back down again. Repeat two to three times.

Advanced: After coming up onto your toes, raise your arms, so that they’re parallel with the mat and, while keeping your ankles lifted, sit down slowly into the imaginary chair and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat two to three times.

5. One-Legged Tadasana

From a normal standing posture, inhale as you lift your right knee up so that your thigh is parallel to the mat and your leg forms a 90-degree angle. Hold for up to 30 seconds. Change sides and repeat on the left.

Advanced: Add a twist! Once you are in the One-Legged Tadasana, place your left hand on the outside of your right thigh and twist open to the right with your right arm extended out, parallel to the mat and hold for 10 seconds before returning to your One-Legged Tadasana.

Knowing how to motivate yourself to work out when you’re tired, feeling meh or even having to start alllll the way from the beginning can feel so hard! We have some advice that can help you get back onto the fitness wagon!

Maybe the first two or three weeks of January you had a streak going… A programme, a goal, regular workouts that you stuck to. But now, as time moves on, lockdown lingers and work picks up, that motivation can start to fade and you start missing a session here and there…

Or maybe you haven’t been able to get started this year. You haven’t found a routine or a goal or something to drive you to get up and move your body.

Either way, we are here to help!!

With the below tips and advice, we’ll show you how to motivate yourself to work out!

Accept That Motivation Doesn’t Happen Every Day

That’s right! There are days when you will have zero motivation to do anything. And that’s okay! Because there are other far more powerful tools to help you: routine and discipline. Building a routine means that even though you might not feel like exercising, you know that, say, on Thursdays you run. And the discipline to follow that routine means that on Wednesday evening you pack out your clothes, set your alarm and when you wake up in the morning, you don’t even have to think, you just go.

Get Accountability Partners

Make fitness dates with friends, family or colleagues. These do not have to be in-real-life! They could be virtual fitness dates, like committing to doing that live workout together, tracking it and comparing your calorie burn and taking sweaty selfies and sending them to each other. Commit to meeting for a socially distanced run or getting your 10 000 steps in.

The more you surround yourself with people who are into working out, the more you will do so too!

Check out some of our amazing free workouts: Mapule’s HIIT session, Amy’s HIIT energizer session or Jonathan Boynton-Lee Workout Programme.

Join a Club

While our world looks very different right now, we still need community. Join a fitness club or get a coach in your area. Joining a running club often means you often get access to running coaches and a programme, plus you now you’ll have like-minded people with you on the same journey. Even if connecting in real life isn’t possible, many of these clubs and programmes set up whatsapp groups to stay connected, share data and motivation.

You will need to share your data with your coach and this alone will motivate you and keep you accountable! And this all leads to the next point…

Pick A Goal

Picking a goal looks different to how it did before, because we don’t have as many “races” happening in real life or on the calendar, but many organisations are still doing virtual events! A good example is the Pirates 21km – Joburg’s toughest half marathon! Where you can enter and run the route any weekend in February. More info here!
Focusing on a fitness goal instead of a weight-loss goal can also be more motivating, because weight can be such a fickle thing and not always easy to see results. But if you focus on a fitness goal, like being able to run 10km without stopping or doing 10 full push-ups in a row, weight-loss and strength will be natural benefits while you feel like you’re achieving a skill.

Need some help? Check out our ClickFit downloadable programmes, free and exclusive to Medshield Members. Try the two-week basic body-weight kickstart, the four-week total transformation, the six-week HIIT workout or the eight-week total transformation programme.

The start of the new work year and the lingering pandemic can leave many of us feeling stressed, overwhelmed and in need of a quick mood boost!

Here are five easy ways in which you can give yourself that mood boost!

1. Get up and change your body position.

This could be a simple movement, like standing up and stretching your arms toward the ceiling or even shrugging your shoulders up and then away from your ears a few times. This helps us to release tension that we often tend to store in our neck and shoulders and create a sense of relaxation.

Also, just the act of moving your body and changing position can help to change your headspace.

2. Play your fave song.

No matter where you are, pop your headphones on and play your fave mood-boosting song. Better yet, take some time over the weekend or in the evening to create a mood-boosting playlist that you can tap into when you need it. Try this playlist.

3. Watch a funny video.

Seriously. There’s a reason why these videos go viral – they make people laugh, which instantly boosts your mood. Search “funny animal videos” in youtube and allow yourself five to 10 minutes to zone out and laugh at goats. Try this.

4. Take a quick walk or practise some yoga

Moving your body changes your energy and getting fresh air can revitalise the brain and rejuvenate the body. Practising a few yoga movements will also help to relieve stress and offer you a mood boost. Need some help? Check out our videos here.

5. Practise Gratitude

Taking a few minutes to write down or even think of three things you are grateful for in this very moment, can give you a mood boost. The consistent practice of gratitude has been shown to help increase overall feelings of contentment and happiness.

Know When It’s Time To Ask For Help

Prolonged anxiety can lead to depression and feelings of hopelessness as well as physical symptoms like exhaustion, lack of sleep and heart palpitations to name a few. If you’re feeling overwhelmed to the point where your daily life is being affected, your behaviour is changing and you’re starting to feel depressed, reach out. Speak to your doctor, ask for a recommendation to see a psychologist or call the SADAG helpline: 011 234 4837.

If you need to find a doctor, click here for a list of doctors on the Medshield Network.

As much as I love running, it really tightens up my hamstrings, calves and hips. Practising yoga is a great complementary exercise  to running, because it helps to stretch those tight muscles, create more flexibility and prevent injury.

I’ve designed this beginner-friendly yoga for runners sequence that you can do at home in your lounge or in your garden (if you have a wall). It will take between five and 10 minutes, depending on how long you’d like to stay in certain postures. I recommend at least 30 seconds, but you can stay for up to one minute.

Yoga Stretches For Runners

First we will focus on the calves and hamstrings. Begin in Downward Facing Dog and pedal out the legs as shown in the image below. Then move into your high plank and stretch out your calves.

Next we’ll focus on the hips. Move Low Lunge as shown below and really focus on pressing your hips forward. This will stretch your hip flexors. This move will also give you the added bonus of a good quad stretch for the leg that’s on the mat.

An area we often forget to stretch as runners is our feet! And yet this is a part of the body that takes a huge pounding. These two foot stretches may feel uncomfortable, so only stay in them as long as you feel you can. Rather take a short break and then attempt the stretch again.

The first stretch helps to prevent plantar fasciitis, which is a common injury among runners. The second move stretches out the top of the foot into the lower shin.

Lying down on the mat, we focus again on the hip area. This Reclined Cow Face posture targets the outer hips and the IT band. If holding your feet feels too much, then hold on to your shins. Really try to pull the knees closer in towards the chest.

Twists are really beneficial for the spine and the digestive system. This move is not as intense on the body as a full supine twist and is called a Windshield Wiper Twist. You can either hold for 30 seconds on each side as suggested below or gently move your knees from left to right a number of times for a minute.

This movement or posture really helps to release tightness around the lower back and hips.

To finish off this sequence, find a steady wall that you can swing your legs up against. The key to this posture is getting your sit bones as close to the wall as possible – they should press against the wall.

This posture is really restorative for tired legs and great to do every evening if you tend to spend a lot of time on your feet. Remaining still, closing your eyes and focusing on your breath will also help you to relax and de-stress.

Avoid injury, perform better and feel better too, with these six warm-up moves for runners.
Have you ever just started running and thought “Agh, I feel terrible!”. It takes the body some time to warm up and if you start running immediately (without a warm-up), your body will often feel tight or stiff and you may hurt yourself.

Warming up areas of the body pre-run will help improve how you feel on the run as well as your performance. As a runner and a yoga instructor, I really feel the benefits of doing these 6 moves before running.
This is a quick warm-up routine that will take you less than four minutes.

1. Ankle Rolls
   
2. Figure-4 Hip Rotations
   
3. Leg swings
   
4. Cross Knees
   
5. & 6 Bum Kicks and High Knees
   

No matter what sport you do, it’s so important to be able to activate and use your glutes efficiently. These beginner-friendly exercises below will help you to target and strengthen your glute muscles.

What you need:

1. A mat or comfortable surface with a towel on top.
2. A thick band which you can tie around your thighs (you can try a pair of stockings)

If you’re a beginner you do not have to use the band, just be mindful in the bridge pose to not let your knees splay open.

This workout will take a total of 8 minutes only! And by adding this to your weekly routine, you’ll see improvements in your walking, running, cycling and other sports.

1. Crab Walk
   
2. Donkey Kicks
   
3. Fire Hydrant
   
4. Clam
   
5. Bridge
   

Join #MedshieldMovement Ambassador Amy Hoppy for a yoga class.

All you require is a mat or a towel placed on a carpeted surface. And an extra towel to roll up to use as a prop. Let’s take the time to show our bodies some much needed love and healing.