Don't let aching joints and pains stop you – here's how I like to to ease them

Traditionally, now is a time for people to pick up the reins of their fitness regime and head into autumn/winter with new goals, challenges and plans.

If you started yours back in August and went for it in a no-holds-barred kind of way, now might be a time when your body is reminding you of a few weaknesses – you may have niggles, aches and tender bits that you could really do without.

They’re holding you back, sending your motivation plummeting and generally making you feel a bit ‘meh’. I’d like to help.

As someone who exercises regularly (and I confess I do like to push myself), I have had my fair share of ‘oohs’, ‘aahs’ and twinges, so I know a thing or two about injuries and how to fix them.

It will take dedication and a few crucial-but-deadly-dull exercises to do each day, but if you are consistent in your effort, then it will pay off.

After all, our bodies were designed to move. The more movement we do, the less likely we are to seize up. Movement is medicine.

Knee pain

Usually, your first experiences are likely to be common injuries, so a good initial step is to consult the internet oracle.

For example, if you type in ‘knee pain when running’, I pretty much guarantee it will come up with runner’s knee, and suggest some knee exercises.

There’s a fascia (connective tissue that surrounds muscle) running down the outside of our thighs called the Iliotibial Band (IT band for short), which connects the hip and knee. If the glutes are weak, then the IT band takes too much of the load, it gets tight, gets shorter and creates a pulling sensation in the outside knee area.

The solution is to strengthen glutes and massage the muscle at the top of the IT band, about one inch outside of your hip bone – do this with a tennis ball, lying on your side. You’ll whimper and your eyes will water, but it is so worth it.

Aching hips

The hips have a fair old task – they provide stability and balance to the upper body, act as shock absorbers and assist with lower body movement.

Here are three stretches to ease discomfort:

1. First up, try a butterfly pose. Sit on the floor (or cushion if it’s more comfortable). Straighten the spine, place soles of your feet together and push the knees outwards.

Hold for 30 seconds. This stretches the inner thigh and opens the hips.

2. Next, it’s a hip flexor stretch. To stretch the right hip, get into position as pictured. Tuck the pelvis under, tensing the right glute. Feel the hip flexor at the front of the right hip elongate.

Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

3. Finally, a pigeon stretch – for the whole hip. Lie on the floor, left leg bent underneath you. Extend the right leg behind and lean forward from the hip. Go down on to forearms for extra intensity.

Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Shin pain

Shin pain is another common complaint, which can lead to shin splints.

There are plenty of exercises that stretch the calves and strengthen the shin muscles (tibialis anterior), such as these 7 stretches for runners, so do them – and do them with bells on.

Avoid any exercise that causes pain to the shin, so it may mean more cycling or swimming for a while, or complete rest altogether.

Sore lower back

If you've been suffering from lower back pain, here are three exercises to help strengthen and ease it.

1. First up, a spine curl. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on floor and heels tucked under knees. Tilt pelvis gently and slowly peel your spine off the floor, pushing through your heels.

Return to the start. Repeat 5-8 times.

2. Next, dead bugs. Again on your back, start with arms above chest and shins parallel to floor. As you exhale, slowly extend opposite arm and leg, and aim to flatten navel to floor.

Pause. Return to start. Repeat eight times.

3. Finally, a half plank. Get into the position shown, ensuring hips are level with shoulders and elbows are under shoulders. Keep effort in the core.

Stay still and aim to hold for 20 seconds. Progress to taking knees off floor!

Stiff feet and plantar fasciitis

The foot is a complex structure of 26 bones, 33 joints and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons. Plantar fasciitis is a common issue, often caused by doing too much too soon or wearing flip-flops over the summer.

The ligaments running along the sole of the foot become tender and tight and, wow, it hurts like hell. Simple exercises, a night-time splint and a whole lot of patience can get you through it.

If your feet feel stiff when walking, try these three easy moves to help keep them in good shape.

1. Stand in bare feet on your best thick yoga mat and pedal each foot alternately, ensuring you press through the ball of the foot. Do 20 reps slowly in total.

2. Flex and point each foot 10-20 times every day to help keep ligaments supple, preventing plantar fasciitis.

If you need to, you can also do this sitting down.

3. Stand on one leg. This encourages the supporting foot to grip more and also improves balance and core strength. Hold for 20-30 seconds, three times on each leg.

Stretch regularly

If you’re like me, stretching will be the thing that falls off the bottom of your to-do list. So let’s plan to stretch or massage a different body part every day for a week, then repeat throughout the month.

Quads Monday, hamstrings Tuesday, chest Wednesday, calves and shoulders Thursday, hips and glutes Friday, feet Saturday and back/spine Sunday. Just 10 mins daily.

Seek professional help if needed

All these tips are designed for home rehab. If nothing is improving, find a good physiotherapist or chiropractor to help with your recovery.

Recommendation is everything, so ask around your friends whose sore knee/ shoulder/ hip/ back has been miraculously cured and give their person a visit.

Make sure you leave each appointment with a clear idea of the issues you’re experiencing, what it will take to recover and a list of moves you can continue to do to help you become pain-free more quickly.

Ask for diagrams, or links to videos to ensure you get the right technique, and whatever routine they recommend you do at home, try and stick to it, however dull.

Annie Deadman is a fitness expert who writes a monthly Fitness Guru column for woman&home magazine. There's no health and fitness topic she won't tackle – from how to enjoy the benefits of caffeine and why you might want to go sober for a month to how to lose a menopause tummy, how to boost energy, and to how to love your legs in shorts.