002 – Foundation of Movement

Learn how a Foundation of Movement can help with your dressage stamina and overall sense of wellbeing as a dressage rider.

 

How much are you moving off your horse each day?

In this episode, I discuss the importance of a foundation of movement off your horse. You see your body is designed to move. The more sedentary your job and lifestyle is, the more focus you need to put into incorporating more movement throughout your day.

The position your body is in for the majority of the day will affect your body’s alignment and your overall energy. It will also impact your riding posture. To help improve your riding, fitness and overall well-being, it’s important to bring greater awareness to your environment and level of movement you’re doing daily.

In addition to consciously achieving a neutral spine throughout the day which I discussed in episode 1, I encourage you to consider how you can add more movement into your day. Ideally, you want to aim to achieve 10,000 steps every day off your horse and spending 50% of your day standing or moving.

Using a stand-up desk for a few hours, engaging in walking meetings or parking your car a few blocks from your destination to walk are all great ways to increase your level of movement.

One of the benefits of horse ownership is all the chores that come with it, requiring a relatively active lifestyle. If you’re already keeping busy attending to these tasks, that’s great. If not, this is an ideal place to start on your well-being journey. Not only will it increase your daily movement, but it will also have a huge impact on your riding stamina and posture.

 

Some key points I make in the episode

Can you make your morning business calls walking or standing with a good neutral posture?

Can you have your morning coffee while taking a short walk rather than sitting at a cafe?

Can you perform some stretches while you’re watching TV in the evening?

Movement with good posture helps improve your muscle memory and enhances your awareness of the body as you ride. Making small changes to increase your steps and to sit less doesn’t require you to make more time in your day. Instead, it’s about being more efficient with your time.

Small tweaks to your day will make your lifestyle better complement your passion for becoming the best rider you can.

Sit better.
Sit differently.
Sit less.
Move more.

Tune in here or where ever your favourite source is at youtube, itunes, podbean, stitcher or spotify. My aim is to bring you an episode a week, so if you have any thing you would like me to discuss please do let me know. I look forward to bringing you what I can and helping you improve your health and wellbeing as a rider, so you can enjoy it even more.

 

Want more articles on improving your riding fitness? Try these.

Understanding Stamina and Dressage

What Sort Of Fitness Training Is Best For Dressage Riders

Is Strength Training Beneficial For My Riding Fitness?

I Need To Improve My Cardio

How Much Exercise Should I Be Doing Around My Riding?