Wimbledon is in full swing and when I was in London last week, the excitement was palpable!
The lovely weather also played a big part in that. But it was amazing to be home again after a 3-year gap. We caught up with many family and friends and 3 weeks whizzed by in the blink of an eye! I'm busy planning the next trip now.
But, back to Wimbledon. I have such fond memories of warm summer days, watching epic tennis matches while listening to the soft buzz of bees searching for flowers and feeling the gentle breeze blowing through the house. Robinson's lemon barley water flowing and strawberries and cream waiting after the cucumber sandwiches.
I always got really inspired watching these matches and inevitably would end up in the back garden with a tennis racquet in my hand and my sister on the other side of the fence ready to play. Fun times!
So, did watching Wimbledon inspire you back on court too?
If it's been a while - TAKE YOUR TIME!
I know, I know, you want to just get out there and play. And that's brilliant! But, if you want to be safe and stay uninjured, take your time and build up slowly.
Literally, time yourself. Use the timer on your phone and don't play for too long. Maximum 30 minutes if it's been a LONG time since you played. Even if you feel fine - you need to see how you feel the rest of the day and when you wake up the morning after.
To avoid injury, make sure you stretch out well before AND especially AFTER you play.
You'll build up muscle tension in your forearm by playing and this increase in muscle tension is what can lead to tennis elbow developing. The increased muscle tension causes the forearm muscles to pull on the tendon. By stretching out, you bring the muscle tension back down and avoid them pulling on the tendon.
Let me know how you go getting back out there.
Enjoy playing!