At the moment, getting out to do any form of exercise has been near on impossible. I mean, it’s not like we can just pop off to the gym for a cheeky leg-day, or meet up with a personal trainer to be put through our paces.
Exercise isn’t always a way to keep fit – t can be so good for mental wellbeing, as much as fitness. And especially in these times where we’re limited to out home for 24 hours a day, getting that bit of exercise can just give your brain something to focus on.
This means I’ve been thinking of ways to exercise, without breaking any Government conditions. And actually, there are a few ways to exercise, whilst following guidelines, and getting some much needed time out of the house. I write about our adventures quite a lot, but lately it’s hard to do this, when there’s no new places to visit.
The government advice stipulates that members of the public can leave the house for one form of exercise a day and it puts no time limit on the span of your exercise, but states that those undertaking outdoor exercise must minimise the time you are out of your home. So here are 4 ways to get your daily exercise whilst following government guidelines.
Walking
People always assume that you need to be doing an actual exercise move for it to count, but walking is a great form of exercise, and luckily, it can be done anywhere. Yes, walking in the Yorkshire Dales might be a lot better to look at, but at the moment, a walk around your local area, down the canal, find child friendly walks or at park (as long as you distance 2m from others) is a great way to get out of the house, exercise and keep those fitness levels up. What’s more, if you do fancy something a little harder, you can jog, or run, and even try doing a 5k, in your local park, to give yourself a sense of achievement.
Cycling
If you’re used to cycling on an exercise bike then this may be a new one for you, as cycling outdoors can feel harder at first, but it does have so many more benefits. Being outdoors in the fresh air is so much better for your mental health and is amazing for fitness, especially if going uphill a lot. A bicycle is all you need to get going, and if you’re less steady, you could opt for Jorvik Tricycles as with having 3 wheels they’re steadier to ride and means there’s no falling off.
There are many perks to cycling. One is that it is a form of exercise, and another is that it is an eco-friendly type of transportation. Your distance depends on stamina and leg power, and while cycling can be tiring, you can train your body so you can travel longer. Get useful gadgets and accessories like a power meter and a GPS watch to make your ride better.
Walking The Dog
The government confirmed that walking your dog counts as exercise, and this is a good way to get both of you out of the house. Remember at the moment, the government are advising that you keep dogs on leads at all time to stop them going near other people, so maybe opt for a longer lead so they can have a little space to run.
Play With The Kids
If you have kids then you’ll know that playing outdoors with children is so tiring, and that means great exercise. We have a local park to us, and even though the playground is closed, the surrounding field is free to be used, as long as we keep distance between ourselves and others. We take a football up there are kick about for a bit, roll down hill, have races, the list is endless and doing a variety of things is better to change up the exercises.
Great ideas thank you!
Bugbear of my life at the moment! I live next to a field which, until this, was always empty. Now, it's packed solid with all kinds of people that don't even live around here. Turning up in cars to walk their dog or let kids out on pushbikes. Playing football. Timing it so they turn up for their walk at the same time as three other cars full of their friends – this has been seen on several occasions, too many to be coincidence. I can't go out for a walk round it as I usually do because I'm recently out of chemo, have lung damage and am on the 12 weeks list. Yet I need to walk as the medication I take makes my legs painful and puts me at risk of blood clots. Back round and round the garden it is, until these people stop being so selfish.
Poor things – I bet they miss their gran. 🙁
My wife insists on us Spring cleaning the house every week, we do a lot of gardening, and we go out for an hours walk most days.
I think the main thing is to avoid sitting down, as even standing uses more energy than sitting.
I'm trying to rig up something so I use my computer standing up, rather than buy one of those adjustable desks…
I don't have a bike or a dog or kids or any exercise equipment so I'm left with walking as my only choice of exercise. I'm very fortunate however that I live in an extremely hilly area so I get a great cardiovascular workout with every daily walk!