FIT FOR PRIDE
JUNE IS A GREAT MONTH FOR MANY REASONS. THE SUN IS (HOPEFULLY) OUT, IT’S OFFICIALLY SUMMER, AND THE PRIDE SEASON IS UPON US – AND THIS YEAR’S PRIDE IS BIGGER THAN EVER AS IT MARKS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST LONDON PRIDE.
So, to make sure you enjoy it to its fullest, Rach & Issy of LGBT FIT are here to talk you through getting Pride-fit so you can stay on your feet all day and dance all night.
“Get out walking!” says Rach. Whether you grab a friend or stick in your headphones and go alone, getting your steps in and getting your body used to walking is so important in the lead-up. You’re going to be spending all day on your feet and want to get your body used to this. Plus, making sure the shoes you wear aren’t going to give you blisters – no one wants to be heading home early for that!
As well as walking, it’s time to get some strength and conditioning to those legs. Adding some squats and lunges into your day is a great way to help achieve this. It doesn’t have to be in the form of a workout, even getting in some squats whilst the kettle boils are going to help. Squats hurt your knees or lower back? Let’s make sure that form is right!
Firstly, place the feet hip-width apart or slightly wider. Have the feet pointing forwards or turn them slightly outwards if you notice your knees knock in when the feet are in parallel. Then, keeping the body tall, take a slight hinge forward at the hips and then squat down, keeping the knees pointing forwards and the chest lifted. Imagine there’s a seat behind you and you’re squatting down to touch it, then pressing back up. Make sure your core is engaged and you inhale as you squat down and exhale as you press back up, says Issy.
Adding in some HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) in the lead-up to Pride will not only help you get fitter and keep body fat in check, but it’ll also increase your stamina so you can stay up dancing all night. A massive plus side to HIIT is that you can get it done in as little as ten minutes!
Check out this HIIT that will get your heart rate up and have you still burning calories after you’ve finished!
Beginners:
Do three rounds of each exercise for 30 seconds, taking 20 seconds rest in between each exercise. Then move on to the next exercise.
Intermediate/advanced
Do four rounds of each exercise for 40 seconds, taking 20 seconds rest between each exercise. Then move onto the next exercise.
One last thing that can help you, whether it’s at Pride or just in day-to-day life, is a great breathing tool that you can use anywhere and in moments of overwhelm, stress or anxiety. Box breathing is a really simple technique where you breathe in the shape of a box. So, you breathe in for four counts, hold the breath for four counts, breathe out for four counts and hold for four counts before repeating again, explains Rach. This can help lower blood pressure and help restore calm and focus.
