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I'm now at week 16 since starting on a different way of thinking about my health and can now notice the difference with my day-to-day movement and activities. Such as the length of time I can stand, ease of getting up out of a chair, walking upstairs, bending down, including my more upbeat positive mood and general wellbeing.

My background in exercise was of someone who had limited time exercising since school years, apart from celebrity exercise DVDs coupled with 'yo-yo' dieting over the many years. Exercise was always in my mind done to lose weight or by those who loved it with a passion, which was not me. The only exercise I enjoyed prior to my accident was walking.

Over the last 10 years since my accident my mobility has worsened and this has had a detrimental effect on not only my weight, but also my life. I could see the restricted future I potentially had in front of me looming and I wasn't happy about what was in store for me.

Thankfully I was offered the EXi programme, which builds you up gradually with three levels of intensity; low, medium and high depending on your starting point. There is also a gradual increase in minutes and days you do the programme. Starting at low intensity of 10 mins 3 days per week, building to my current 30 minutes for 5 days per week. Increasing in minutes each week brings you to the recommended 30 minutes per day without realising! 

This time my goal is 100% about me improving my mobility, but I’ve found that I’m losing weight too, without being so focused on what I am eating. 

“As long as you keep on the programme you are going in the right direction to becoming healthier.”

The saying "there is no gain without pain" is true... but the programme allows you to work at your own pace and pain levels with the support of the EXi team. If it's too hard you can step back a week or two and repeat earlier weeks and build up at a slower pace. As long as you keep on the programme you are going in the right direction to becoming healthier. 

I have to use mind over matter on some days but have juggled the programme to suit me. For example my 30 minutes can be made up of several blocks through out the day, ie 10min, 5min,10 min and another 5. The fact that it is an App on your phone means it is to hand when ever your ready to go. The exercises are easy to follow and unlike a lot of what is available elsewhere EXi is realistic to the fact that you are unlikely to be able to get down on the floor to exercise so all the routines are achievable. Your targets, performance and scores are logged as data on the App so you can keep track of how you have progressed, which I found an excellent incentive. Seeing the EXi App on my home screen was a reminder to keep focused on the programme and to work the programme into my day. 

“Lifeline of a service that is available to those that need the confidence to start exercising at a pace that's designed for them.”

It was great to know there was the physiotherapist and medical support available which gave me the confidence that it was ok with my health conditions to do the exercises as it was being monitored through heart rate records etc on the App and regular one to one contact.

This is a brilliant lifeline of a service that is available to those that need the confidence to start exercising at a pace that's designed for them. No gym....... just easy fun exercise in the privacy of your own home in your own time. Which was exactly what I needed.

Sarah Martin from Essex

It’s well known that increasing physical activity has huge health benefits.  So why isn’t everyone doing it?  One of the biggest challenges to maintaining an exercise programme is to find a way to incorporate it into your life, so that it becomes an enjoyable part of your routine rather than a burden.  At EXi, we believe that physical activity is for everyone and that everyone should be provided with the right tools to find what works for them.  In this article, we look to give you tips about choosing the right programme intensity and how you can fit this in to your day so it becomes a habit.

Moderate Vs High Intensity

Firstly, it’s important to choose how hard you are prepared to work.  Getting this wrong, usually by pushing too hard initially is one of the biggest causes of people giving up an exercise programme.  Guidelines state that most people should be aiming, by the end of a graduated programme, to be completing 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise each week, with either option providing similar health benefits.  For some people, with certain conditions it is not safe to complete a high intensity programme initially and the EXi App will inform you what you can and can’t do.  (See 'How it Works' for a definition of low, moderate and high intensity activity).

A huge plus point for low to moderate intensity activity is that you can usually do it without having to change clothes or shower after.  This means that it’s perfect for fitting around daily routines such as work, the school drop off or going to the shops.  If you are allowed to complete a high intensity exercise programme, you won’t have to exercise for as long.  However, you will most likely make you pretty sweaty, so you’ll need to shower and change afterwards.

We really find that for people who are looking to start becoming active are much more likely to stick with a graduated and individualised low to moderate intensity programme.  Remember, you are not selling yourself short by doing this – the health benefits are very similar as those for a high intensity programme.

The Importance of Planning

Once you have your programme, it is important to spend a few minutes to work out how you are going to fit it in to your schedule.  This doesn’t always have to be a detailed plan, but giving some thought on how you plan to achieve your goals will make you much more likely you will succeed.  Some people even find that it works best to “book” your exercise into a diary, just like you would with any other appointment.  Have a look at how your programme progresses week on week (“My Plan” on the EXi App) and allow for this when you’re planning.

When planning, the following can be useful points to consider;

• Think of your exercise session as an appointment and if, for any reason you have to miss a session, make sure you re-schedule it for another time.
• You don’t need to do your session all at once. Divide up your daily activity into blocks of 10 minutes or more.  You can do some in the morning, some at lunch and some in the evening.
• Experiment with different types of physical activity (gym, walking, cycling etc) to see what if best for you. Remember it needs to be sustainable, so think of things that work for you.
• You can mix it up. One day go to the gym, the next day walk.
• Home Aerobics is a great way to get active without leaving your house. EXi has specifically designed home aerobics videos at low, moderate and high intensity
• Gardening, housework or DIY are great ways to be active. Just make sure you’re working at the correct intensity.
• Think about whether you would like to exercise alone, with a friend or in a group. Everybody has different preferences regarding this and social support can really help staying motivated if it is right for you.  If you’re thinking of exercising in a pair or group there are some things to look for.
• Organise an exercise group in your workplace. This is great for your employers, as active workers are happier, more productive and take less time off work.  Sell it like this and you might even get them to cough up for a gym membership!
• If you do have a period where you stop your exercise programme, don’t despair.  Re-evaluate the programme and see if there was any reason for stopping, fix it and get back to it!  EXi allows you to re-start your programme from any point (in the “My Plan” section).

Commuting

Active commuting is a great way to kill two birds with one stone.  Cities and towns are finally waking up to the idea that getting more people commuting actively improves traffic congestion, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions as well as getting people more active and generally making communities more vibrant places to live.  Remember, that although pollution is annoying, the benefits of active commuting outweigh the health risks of pollution and actually, being in a car won’t stop you from being exposed to the pollution.  If it’s feasible, walking or cycling are obvious ways to complete your activity, but if it’s not possible to be do this for the entire journey, other ideas include;

• Walk or cycle to the train station
• Get off the bus or train 1 stop early and walk the rest. In cities that have cycle hire schemes, you could even cycle the last 15 minutes of your journey often missing out the busiest section of public transport.
• If you have to drive to a train station, find a place to park that is away from the station and then walk the rest. As well as getting active, you’ll save a whole lot in extortionate station car parking prices

Ultimately there are many ways for you to complete your programme and as long as you are working at the correct intensity for the right amount of time, there is no right or wrong way to go about it.  We also have a forum on HealthUnlocked and we’d love to hear your stories about becoming active as you just might inspire others to follow your lead!

If you have any other questions about this blog post or would like further information, please feel free to contact us at info@exi.life

Lewis Manning