Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:
- raising your self esteem
- helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them
- causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood
Here are some things you could do to try and keep moving and keep fit during lockdown:
Do
- find free activities and apps on line to help you get fit. Why not try Joe Wicks and his early morning workouts while you are learning from home https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ
- start running with the NHS couch to 5k podcasts https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-week/ . You can also download their app straight to your phone.
- find out how to start a new exercise from home. Maybe something like yoga, aerobic work outs, weights, going outside and playing with a ball.
- Simply going for a brisk walk will help to improve your fitness and get you out and about in the fresh air. Have a look at some local maps and explore some routes you’ve not taken before The Ordinance Survey app is great for looking up public footpaths in the local countryside.
- find out about getting started with exercise
Don’t
- do not feel that you have to go to a gym to get fit. It’s best to find activities you enjoy and make them a part of your life
Case study: Mrs Hearn
Last January, I decided I needed to try and get fit. I’d noticed I was getting out of breath running up the stairs at school and realised I needed to do something about it. My best friend suggested we could both try and get fit together by doing the NHS Couch to 5K programme, so we agreed to download the app and give it a go. Over the nine weeks you complete three runs a week. Each week you build up your stamina and the amount of time you run for. I had never run before and found the steady progress good for a total beginner! By the end of the nine weeks I was running non-stop for half an hour three times a week and feel much fitter as a result. A year on, and I’m still running several times a week, the app really helped me to get into the habit of going for a run. The other thing that helped massively, was the motivation from my friend. She lives in Leeds so we can’t run together. Instead, we send each other a photo with a thumbs up at the end of each run and it encourages the other to get out for a run too!
