3. Get Moving with Physiotherapist Susan Harper-Clarke

September 8, 2020

Susan Harper-Clarke

physiotherapist

8 September 2020
Health & Fitness

Just Move

Susan Harper-Clarke is passionate about getting people active for life, not just for lockdown. She is full of enthusiasm and a delight to work with professionally. She helped Alexandria get moving again and recover from a rowing injury she sustained last summer. Susan has some great fitness tips to help get you motivated and active too. And… she even surprises herself by dishing out fashion advice.

Listen to this episode to hear about Susan’s experience with Team GB in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics.

Susan's Instagram: @thepocketphysio

Inspiration

Lifestyle Medicine Doctor

The instagram account of cardiologist and best-selling author, Aseem Malhotra. He is on a mission to save lives, a million at a time.

Benefits of Physiotherapy

Move better

And understand your body more. Learn how to manage your condition without being totally reliant on your physio.

Get fitter

And, for instance, lose that lockdown weight.

Get stronger

Be more robust and less likely to sustain injury.

A lot of people think: I have to be sporty to go and see a physio. You don’t at all. You basically just need to want to move and want to improve the way that your body interacts with the environment.

Susan Harper-Clarke

Fitness Tips

Just move!

“I would say just move is the best thing that I can advise people.”

Find an activity you’re going to enjoy

If you enjoy it, you’re more likely to make it habit. Here are a few ideas: dance class, swimming, yoga, pilates, tai chi, rowing, cycling, walking, running, strength training, circuits…

Make time to build a habit

Give it a go for a relatively long period of time (four to six weeks). Sometimes it does take time to build up strength, endurance, tolerance, enjoyment of something.

Breaking down a long-term goal, especially physical goals or activity-related goals, into smaller manageable sections will always mean that you succeed.

Susan Harper-Clarke

Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K is a 9-week programme that, yes, gets you off your sofa and (gradually) running 5K. Susan recently completed this and it’s transformed her relationship with running. Endurance activities (like running) have never been Susan’s strong suit, but she now really enjoys it! You can download each week of the Couch to 5K as a podcast or get the entire programme as a smartphone app.

What do you actually enjoy doing? Don’t just go, I should really start running if you don’t enjoy running. If you’re not going to find a consistency and you’re not gonna enjoy it, you won’t make it habit.

Susan Harper-Clarke

Healthy Mindset

Start each day with a morning hug

Yes, you can hug yourself or do a big family “pile on”. Either way, it sets off your natural endorphins.

Approach life with a positive attitude

That doesn’t mean you can’t also put your foot down. Don’t put up with stuff that you’ve maybe accepted in the past.

Be kind (to yourself and others)

Don’t take yourself or anyone else for granted.

Live life well (according to you)

There is no one-size-fits-all "ideal life". Find your own path for what living your ideal life means for you.

Embrace diversity

How dull life would be if we were all exactly the same. Honour the uniqueness of you and the uniqueness of everyone you encounter.

There are lots of different varieties, shades, colours, disabilities that make up our world. So we need to be able to portray this as the norm. We are a very diverse community, and that’s good.

Susan Harper-Clarke

Style Notes

Susan’s top tip is jean shorts. “You can dress them up. You can dress them down. You can wear them with wedges, with trainers, with heels, with flip flops. Jean shorts are my absolute go-to fashion accessory item.”

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About ALSO in PINK

Welcome to the ALSO in PINK podcast with host Alexandria Lawrence, a certified KonMari consultant, personal stylist and specialist in biophilic interior design.

ALSO in PINK offers candid conversations with industry leaders and influencers, clients and friends, about what it means to live well.