ad – gifted items // After 2.5 years, I finally caught COVID in April 2022. My whole household did. I literally can’t believe it took us that long, consider two people were heading into London regularly when the pandemic was rife. But alas, we were not immune. We are all vaccinated and boosted, so it wasn’t *too* bad on us but it still reaaaally sucked.
My Mum experienced just a bad cold, however she did have a lingering cough for quite a while afterwards. My Dad, even though he’s had the most health issues of all of us, actually got away the lightest.
My boyfriend has asthma, so I was quite worried about him. He started off feeling okay but after 3/4 days, he developed a severe sore throat and breathlessness. He felt absolutely terrible but we stocked up on inhalers, flu tablets and throat spray, not knowing whether any of it was actually going to work against COVID.
Similarly to my Mum, I also experienced a really bad cold. Nothing worse than I’ve had before but the main thing I noticed with myself was my energy levels and fatigue. I was just SO tired and knackered from doing, well, nothing.
Prior to us all getting COVID, I was really focused on my health and exercise. I had worked with a fitness coach since December and whilst I wasn’t working with her anymore, the tips and habits she introduced to me helped me continue a more healthy lifestyle.
COVID knocked me, so my exercise went out of the window whilst I was ill but even when I was no longer positive, I noticed my energy was still through the floor. I needed more help getting back into exercise, when fatigue set in and my muscles were no longer used to so much movement. Things like pain relief cream, having a bath and hot water bottles were a life saver!
I started to get a bit nervous about long COVID at this point, having heard so many horror stories about it. I desperately wanted to get back into my exercise routine but I was still coughing, phlegmy and also getting constant heart palpitations, so I was incredibly nervous about doing anything strenuous.
I knew I needed to start somewhere and I did make a few mistakes early on, like doing a workout that was far harder than I should have done and subsequently feeling awful afterwards. I was just really shocked at how long it took to get back into some sort of “normal” routine, after my bout of COVID.
So today, with the help of adidas, I wanted to share some basic tips for getting back into exercise safely after COVID. Of course, everyone is different and will have experienced the virus in different ways but here are some things I found that helped me.
Listen to your OWN body
Everyone is different so what works for someone, might not work for you. It’s great to get tips and advice but at the end of the day, you need to listen to what your own body is telling you. Before working out and during a work out. If you don’t have the energy for a HIIT, try a restorative Yoga practice. Or if you’re halfway through a workout and finding it too difficult, tune it down a notch.
Yoga
And speaking of Yoga, Yoga is a GREAT practice, especially for when you’re not at your fittest or you’re trying to regain your fitness. There are so many different types of Yoga to try and even a slow and gentle practice will do your body the world of good if it’s been in a crumpled state for so long with COVID.
adidas have helped me with my Yoga practices recently with these two gorgeous sets from their Yoga 4 Elements range. I heard of this range because Adriene Mischler – Yoga with Adriene Extraordinaire – is an ambassador, so I just had to try some for myself.
I really love these two sets from adidas. I feel really good in both of them and they’re absolutely perfect for Yoga practices, as well as general exercise. The leggings are super comfortable so I’d probably wear them throughout the day if I was having a cozy day!
My own issue was the sizing. The sizes they suggested for me, based on my height and weight etc on the website were FAR out. The leggings were far too big and the sports bras were far too small. So I did have to send them back and get different sizes, which was fine, the returns process was easy enough.
But just something to consider if you’re thinking of purchasing some Yoga-wear from the site; take their size recommendations with a pinch of salt. Other than that, these sets are pretty much perfect!
Related reads:
- 10 Reasons Why You Need the Find What Feels Good Membership
- 5 UK Yoga Retreats To Help You Unwind in 2022
- 6 Tips To Help You Maintain a Yoga Practice Whilst Traveling
Walk, walk, walk
Walking is one of the best activities you can do for your body, heart, lungs and mind. Don’t forget, they’re all connected. Your spirit too! And if they’re all feeling good in unison, then you’ll be healing a lot quicker and more effectively. Walking is great because it can be done anywhere, is low impact but SO good for you!
Related read: 8 Ways To Walk More & Enjoy It in 2022
Try a low-impact activity
If you want to try another low impact activity, swimming might be a great option. My Mum and I were going swimming regularly before we both got COVID. Obviously we stopped going when we were both sick but when we were negative, we were both quite nervous about going back. Turns out, swimming was a GREAT option, as it’s so low impact.
Do something every day (even if it’s only small)
Little and often is a great rule of thumb when it comes to getting your energy, strength and fitness back after a bout of COVID. Going head on into the gym for a 2 hour workout probably won’t do you much good. So perhaps try and switch things up daily. Perhaps some Yoga in the morning and a walk in the afternoon.
There are plenty of fitness challenge ideas online if you’re struggling to work out what to do in order to keep fit. These workouts can be based in the gym, at home or outdoors, so take advantage of these ideas, no matter how many or how little you do.
Obviously following these tips won’t stop you getting long COVID. If you’re going to get it, you will. I sincerely hope you don’t but like I said, it’s SO important to listen to your own body but also take proactive steps in healing yourself through movement. Movement is medicine after all!