I have noticed a recent trend in a certain type of injury at Elevate. 

In the last few months, all of our routines have been completely upended. We have been forced to develop new routines and for many of us this meant finding new ways to stay fit and active. The ways in which people have been accommodating and keeping exercise as a priority has been really impressive. Workouts have gone virtual, gym buddies are meeting on Zoom, and fitness challenges are booming. 

But, even still, the type of movement is completely different. 

Before COVID, our days started with movement. We would pack up a bag, walk to the train or car, sit for a while, and then more walking to get to our place of work. From there, we would have a meeting or see a client and then walk to wherever in our workplace we needed to be next. Lunch was away from our main workspace. Meetings were in various locations. You stood up to greet a co-worker. Micro-movements occurred all throughout the day. We (hopefully) made time for exercise somewhere in our day and (hopefully) performed some really good macro-movements by lifting weights, playing sports, or jogging. 

Flash forward… The micro-movements are missing! 

COVID has altered our routines to perform constant, low intensity activity followed by very high intensity activity. But our tissues perform best when receiving frequent variety between low, moderate, and intense activity. When we try to fit a full day’s worth of micro and macro movements into a short workout, we are not allowing the body to accommodate. This is where a different type of injury can occur. 

Take a look at my heart rate data from two different days and see if you can tell which was during the COVID pandemic and which was not. Despite going for a similar run on both days, we can see that my heart rate had a lot more variety on one day than the other.