Keep moving girls!

In these strange times, at a time when isolation is the new buzz word, caring for our mental health as well as our physical health is absolutely crucial. Research shows that exercise is closely linked to a wide range of mood-based and social benefits as well as health benefits and it could be the key to our well-being during this time. People who are physically active are happier and more satisfied with their lives. Exercise helps both adults and children to feel more connected and less anxious.

We know that girls are less inclined than boys to play sports and be physically active but now, more than ever, they need to get involved and have a go! You can help by encouraging them, exercising with them and suggesting different things to do.

Here are ten reasons why our daughters need to carry on moving over the coming weeks and how they can be more active.

1. Cardiovascular exercise produces dopamine which gives us that natural ‘high’. This makes us feel happier about life and more optimistic which, let’s face it, has to be a good thing right now.

2. It’s highly likely that many of us will start to feel down about isolation and for some this will lead to depression. The anti-depressant effect of exercise is well known with some researchers stating that exercise might be as effective as anti-depressant medicine and psychological treatments.

Photo credit Engin Akyurt

3. Exercise helps to combat anxiety. Exercise reduces the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and leads to the production of feel-good endorphins. Physical activity also helps to burn off nervous energy caused by anxiety and stress, which can lead to the feeling of agitation.

4. Our daughters may not be at school but aside from the Easter holidays, they are still expected to do some school work. Cardio-vascular exercise helps to boost the memory and improve thinking skills so make sure that they can take breaks for exercise during the day — really up the number of PE lessons!

5. As our lives become more sedentary over the coming weeks, for some people there will be an increased chance of obesity and for the already obese, there are fewer opportunities to stay active. It’s important that we create opportunities for ourselves to combat excessive weight gain. Here are some ideas of ways to stay active when gyms and leisure centres are closed.

6. There are heaps of online workouts from personal trainers, both celebrity and otherwise. Joe Wicks’ HIIT (high intensity interval training) sessions are really popular and he’s even started a daily phys ed lesson every morning at 9am (GMT) for children at home during COVID-19 isolation! Other popular online trainers include Kayla Itsines, Les Mills and Jillian Michaels.

Photo credit Jonathan Borba

7. If you still can and you’re not in complete lockdown, going out for a run, bike ride or brisk walk is great exercise. If you’re new to running, there are lots of apps to help you get started — Couch to 5k or 10k are the ones that spring to mind, but, you don’t need apps and technology really — you can just stick your trainers on and get out there! And if you’re worried about your daughter going out alone, go with her! It’ll benefit you both in so many ways — physically and mentally whilst giving you both time to connect away from school books and the stress of isolation. (Remember to stay 2 metres away from others you meet and not to go to congested places and only go out if you’re both well.)

8. Cardio work is really important but so is strength training and you don’t need lots of fancy kit to do it! Your own body weight is a good starting point for press-ups and plank for example. The internet is a great source of inspiration for other exercises and don’t be afraid to improvise with cans of baked beans and bags of sugar (as long they’re sealed!) until you can feel ready to take on the likes of dumb bells and resistance bands.

9. And after all that exercise, you really need to do some stretching. Yoga and Pilates videos are online as well as live streaming so you’ll never be short of a good muscle stretch and for that you really need nothing at all. A yoga mat may be helpful but it’s not essential.

10. To start the right habits for the next few weeks, try to build physical activity into your schedule or timetable. Doing it at the same time each day will help to reinforce the habit so that it naturally becomes part of your day and, ultimately, life.

It goes without saying that if your daughter has some company in her exercise regime, she’s more likely to want to do it — don’t make it a punishment by sending her off on her own! It should be a release for our girls to step away from the kitchen table / school desk and with you at their side, they’ll be more enthusiastic.

Remember that every little helps and not to ‘run before you can walk’ — don’t set out on a 10km run with your daughter if you’ve never really run before! Doing that might just create a sense of failure when you and she have to walk or turn back and that might put off your daughter from trying again. Keep in mind the idea of personal best and that each time she tries exercise, she should try to beat the number of reps she did last time or try to beat her time or distance, for example.

We would love to hear what you’re doing to keep fit and to see you and your daughter exercising during this time of isolation so please DM us, tag us in any photos or use hashtag #wearetraining! You never know you might just inspire another girl to get up and have a go.