Do you get in your own way?

Sometimes we decide we can’t do things before we’ve even tried them or given them a fair trial.

Often people tell me they can’t do certain exercises, and maybe they  can’t on their first go, but that doesn’t mean they’ll never be able to do it. We just need to start smaller. Maybe we have to slow it down, make the range smaller or adapt the movement a little to strengthen the muscles required to perform the exercise correctly. Then over time we progress to doing the original movement.

This can be applied to any goal but let’s talk about it in a Rider Fitness context.

You may think that the thought of taking up exercise is just too big a task. You think you can’t do all of those fancy Yoga moves or do even 1 minute of HIIT. That’s ok, you didn’t even do rising trot in your first riding lesson. You just need to break it down into smaller steps.

An off horse exercise session doesn’t have to be an hour long, it doesn’t need to involve weights and you don’t have to get out of breath or really sweaty.

You can break it into smaller steps.

If you want to improve your cardio fitness you could start with a 20 minute brisk walk or if you want to try HIIT try 20 seconds of Squats rest and then repeat 3 -4 times. Or start with whatever you can manage.

If it’s those fancy Yoga moves you want to master then just do what you can, no matter how far removed you think it is from what it’s supposed to be just keep turning up and trying the moves-I promise if you persist it will get better.

What I’m trying to say is don’t decide you can’t do something before you’ve given it a proper go. We don’t get most things on our first go, we don’t start most things at the advanced level. Exercise is no different!

Break it down into smaller chunks.

Regress the movement to a simpler version.

Keep trying!

If you want some help I have 121, Class and Online Programmes so there’s definitely something to suit your needs and budget.