I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying; fail to prepare and you’re preparing to fail. Priming energy is a way of preparing the body for the day. The short routine below can be used before exercise to increase performance, or before breakfast to kick start your day. The main benefits you’ll experience is increased energy in your cells and improved mobility in your joints.
The Science;
Increased energy – Moving joints through their full range of motion increases blood circulation, neural pathways and lymphatic drainage. In layman’s terms this means more responsive muscles, sharper mental clarity and increased detoxification support. You’ll be able to physically feel the difference in your energy levels because these three benefits alone will up regulate your metabolism. I’ve spoke about metabolism a lot on the blog but just in case you don’t know; better metabolic health means an increase in cellular energy across the board. More celluar energy means all 11 main organ systems will be more efficient, systems such as your; immune system, digestive system, nervous system and reproductive system, to name a few.
Reduce your risk of injury – There are five elements to fitness; 1. Strength 2. Speed 3. Endurance 4. Flexibility 5. Balance. The problem with most people’s training programmes is they only address one of these elements leaving the door wide open for injury to occur. Runners are a prime example, they have notoriously tight hamstrings and are prone to re-occurring knee, hip and back pain because the majority of their sessions only ever focus on endurance in one plain of motion – forwards. Priming addresses this by taking the joint through it’s full range of movement to improve flexibility, strength and balance. It also reduces the risk of injury by increasing your body awareness, the more your practise the routine the stronger your mind-body connection will become making it less likely for those non-cause injuries to occur like throwing your back out to pick up a sock!
Conclusion;
This ‘priming energy’ routine (I had to call it something!) works weather; you’re suffering with fatigue, you’re physical performance has plateaued or your concentration levels are equal to a goldfish. For added benefit you’ll notice I was outside – light exposure first thing in the morning is shown to dramatically improve your quality of sleep that night. Combine that with the stress reducing benefits of nature and energy enhancing side affects of this routine and you’ll be as puzzled as me, as to why people still go to those funny dark sweat boxes called the gym. If you haven’t yet experienced our outdoor fitness classes send your Head of HR to this page: Corporate Wellness or find out if one of our public classes are near you by clicking here; mixed ability outdoor fitness class.
Dedicated to simplifying health so you can achieve more, in less time.
Pip & The DayOne Wellness Team.