COVID-19 and enduring lockdown has had a detrimental impact on all of us in more ways than I could ever do justice to in a blog post. But as things start to re-open, I want to highlight one specific aspect that’s been affected greatly: walking and activity level.
A daily step count seems insignificant in the grand scheme of what’s happening right now, but I wanted to share a brief personal anecdote in the hopes that it will help at least one of you reading this right now.
My personal average daily step count, sorted by months over the past year, can be seen below:
Without consciously thinking about a daily target, I hovered around that common default 10,000 step goal (about five miles.) But then the pandemic hit. Notice the steep downward trend in March, and the cliff dive in April. Based on my own personal data and a hunch that this trend was generalized across most people during quarantine, I did some digging for data. According to Fitbit, the pandemic had a major impact on physical activity levels for over 30 million of their active users around the globe. This sedentary period affected all of us, both physically and mentally.
The good news is, we are starting to see a return to some activity. In May, I returned to work, which means my 0.8 mile walking commute to the clinic was re-integrated into my daily routine, sometimes multiple times per day. As a result, my step count spiked considerably (over 4,000 more steps/day) when compared to the previous month, without a ramp up period. Consequently, I developed some ouchiness — a highly technical physical therapy term — in my plantar fascia.
Our bodies do an amazing job of sending signals (PAIN!) when something isn’t quite right, but we don’t do an equally amazing job of listening.
It’s fairly easy to conceive that your body wouldn’t be thrilled with a jump from a 225-pound deadlift to a 405-pound deadlift one rep max without a proper ramp-up period. Yet we are apt to dismiss a similar aggressive spike in other types of movement. My own step count increase is analogous to the weightlifting example.
Here’s the takeaway. No matter how excited you are to get back to some normalcy, jumping straight back into a higher activity level following a prolonged sedentary period can lead to ouchiness.
Be mindful of the changes in your activity, and where possible, resume gradually. Start with a lower volume than your pre-Covid level, at an easy pace, then work back up gradually. In my example, I could have chosen to ride a Citibike for some of those commutes instead of doing them all on foot.
In addition to monitoring volume, take care of your feet with some self-massage, Trigger Point ball rolling, and calf stretching. If you start to feel any twinges of pain, pay attention to what your body is telling you and reach out to us before it comes a bigger issue.
If you’re getting back to running or cycling outside after a prolonged break from training, don’t expect to jump back into the same volume or intensity where you left off, or you’ll risk injury. If your body is fatigued and fighting soreness, it can also affect your immune system. Cut your volume back to about 50% of where you were, at an easier pace, and cut yourself some slack. Working back up gradually will benefit you more in the long run. After a training hiatus, it’s even more important to get your body ready to move with a dynamic warm-up. But don’t overthink it or create excuses about not having time. Go ahead and head out the door. Just spend the first couple blocks of your run incorporating a few drills like high knees, glute kicks, skips and carioca (also known as the grapevine.) Save the static stretches for after your workout.
If you have concerns about your readiness for activity, or if you have more ambitious training plans to tackle, hit us up for a check-in.
— Dr. James Sinodinos, PT, DPT, CSCS