The ease-in workout wherein I kinda screw up my knee in real time

Despite my best efforts, I totally did not exercise on vacation, aside from walking and horsing around with my kids in the pool. Even though I totally designed myself a whole workout before I left!

A no-equipment workout with a pelvic floor and bone density bonus

Oh, well. It’s true to form, at least:

Exactly How I Stay Active On Vacation

Part of me wanted to jump back into my workout routine quickly, but that doesn’t always work out well for me — I know that taking it slowly and easing back in is generally a better bet. A simple workout that focuses on mobility and some basic movement patterns helps me reorient myself to movement, check in and notice what’s feeling good and not so good, and feel better prepared for a more intense workout down the line.

I know some of you are also easing back in after travel, illness, injury, or just a long break from movement, so I’m hoping you find this one helpful. Feel free to bookmark it — I’d love for this to be one you return to when you need it.

And if you’re not in this mode and prefer something more intense, feel free to check out the archive here.

I did have a sudden pain flare during a lunge during this workout: My knee suddenly hurt like hell. This is not unusual for me, and I know that my best bet is to continue with gentle movement and trust that the pain will subside. You can see how I manage it in this video. To learn more about pain and movement, an evergreen plug for this fantastic interview with my PT friend

Dylan Peterson

:

"Optimization culture tries to push that our body should feel excellent all the time. It's just not true."

I’m grateful to say that I went to a pretty intense class at my gym this morning (one day after filming this workout) that involved a lot of squats, lunges, and burpees, and my knee felt totally fine. Trust and optimism, babes!

On another note — and SPEAKING OF LUNGES SOMETIMES SUCKING FOR YOUR KNEES!!! — I am finally doing the lunge guide I’ve been promising you all for months now. My friend and former coach

Maillard Howell

will be joining me on Substack Live this coming Wednesday, April 30 at 1pm ET to answer the many questions you all shared with me about lunges when I first started talking about doing this. If you can’t make it live, don’t stress; I’ll share the video in a newsletter soon afterwards. But it would be really fun to “see” you there! I promise to charge my phone this time.

Okay ONE MORE THING. I’m working on some marketing efforts to help continue to grow this newsletter, and if you are at all interested in sharing a testimonial, I would be so grateful! There’s a little form you can fill out here. (You don’t have to be a paid subscriber to do this; just someone who has benefited from or appreciated How to Move in some way.) Thank you so much in advance.

On to the workout: No equipment needed this week — just a mat and maybe a towel if you need a little extra cushioning. Let’s go!