Due to COVID-19, we are all spending a bit more time at home. However, staying active is more important than ever. Moving your body more makes you feel better physically and mentally. And we all need that right now.
Being more active doesn’t mean training for a marathon or cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats (although you can if you really want to!). It just means thinking about your daily routine and looking for opportunities to move a bit more.
Get moving
Maybe you go for a brisk 10 minute walk after tea. Or dance around your kitchen to your favourite tunes. All that matters is you’re aiming to do that bit more.
You don’t need gym equipment at home to stay active. Everyday activities such as doing the vacuuming, hanging out the washing, and mowing the lawn all count towards your daily activity levels.
How active should I be?
The Chief Medical Officer recommends adults should be moderately active for 150 minutes per week. That means moving enough that you can still talk but you couldn’t sing.
You don’t have to do all of that activity in one go; every little bit of activity counts towards your total. If you’re just getting started, try to break up long periods of sitting by getting up and moving for at least five minutes each hour.
Active My Way
We at Together Active have been working hard to make it easy for you to find activities you can do at home and activities you can join in real life.
Try searching below to discover what activities are available for you, or visit Active My Way.
Join the Movement
Sport England’s ‘Join the Movement’ campaign features some useful resources to help you stay active in whichever way you prefer.
Join the Movement
Not sure what you can do?
Here is the current advice:
• Keep at least 2m metres or more away from anyone outside of your household at all times, or 1 metre with a face covering or other precautions.
• If you are self-isolating with symptoms, or someone in your household has them, you shouldn’t leave home but that doesn’t mean you should stop moving. It’s really important to use movement and activity as a way of breaking up your routine, if you feel well enough. Cook, play active games, dance, go into the garden if you’ve got one.
Find out more about what you can and can’t do, including the rules regarding meeting with others.
Try a home workout
If you’re looking for some inspiration, there are loads of videos and workouts that you can follow online.
