Nurture with Orchards: Fitness Foundations

You may have seen our recent series on our brilliant partner theMovement charity and as part of our Nurture with Orchards; our new therapeutic programme. 

Nurture with Orchards is our new therapeutic wellbeing programme to enable women to improve their physical and mental health whilst recovering from trauma. We are praying for the women we come alongside to thrive physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard.... The bodies of abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them (Bessel A. van der Kolk, 2014). 

The Movement provide trauma-informed fitness sessions to our residents and also those accessing our remote support.These are led by an experienced personal trainer and tailored to the needs of each woman.

The Movement kindly shared some of their top fitness tips to help you start or get back into exercise;  fitness foundations as we’ve called them. 

Just a reminder of the full Fitness Foundations

1: Choose movement you enjoy.

When thinking about becoming more active, choose an activity that you will enjoy doing! There are many different ways to exercise, including dancing, going for a walk in a park, stretching, or strength based movements. If you pick something you will enjoy, you are more likely to be motivated to start and enjoy the journey of becoming more active. 

2: Start gently 

If you have not been active for a long time or are starting a new type of exercise, it is best to start gently. Picking shorter sessions that are designed for beginners will help you to  exercise in a way that is best for your body and prevent injuries. This may mean introducing faster walks before you start jogging, or telling your instructor at a class that you are new so they can share options for you and your body. 

Part 3: Be Kind to Yourself 

It can be difficult to find motivation to exercise, especially with all the different distractions and priorities we have in other areas of our lives. 

Be kind to yourself if you miss a session or need to prioritise resting. Resting and recovering is a really important part of becoming more active. 

Part 4: Set a goal

Having something to aim towards is great for motivating us to become more active. Perhaps there is a certain exercise you would like to be able to do, you would like to be able to climb the stairs without feeling out of breath or carry your food shop home without your arms hurting. Goals  like these can motivate you and it is great to be able to celebrate as you achieve them and make new goals! Share any goals with friends and family and they will keep you motivated and help achieve these goals. 

Part 5: Wear something comfortable

Having the right workout wear an make such a different when we exercise. The right sports bra, leggings or trainers can massively affect the success of our workouts and how our bodies feel during and after. As part of our new nurture programme to enable women to improve their physical and mental health, theMovement will be providing Trauma Informed fitness sessions to our residents and also those accessing our remote support. 

These will be led by an experienced personal trainer and tailored to the needs of each woman.

Part 6: Don’t do it alone

If you are wanting to become more active, having someone else to exercise with can be an amazing motivation and encouragement! This might be a friend to go for a walk with or a personal trainer whose class you attend regularly. Find a community who walk alongside each other, support and cheer each other on. 

That’s a wrap on our fitness foundations for this part of Nurture with Orchards. We hope this gave you a bit of an insight to the brilliant work TheMovement do and how they are helping women we work on their journey to recovering from trauma.

Please join us in praying for the women we work with, who are about to embark on this journey of fitness. Pray for physical and emotional healing from the effects of sexual trauma and increased joy and confidence in who they are as they try something new. 

Details of the next part of our Nurture with Orchards coming soon!