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Move more

As we all spend more time at home due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) it’s important to keep active. Moving more can work wonders for both your physical and mental health.

Being active can help boost your confidence and give you more energy, as well as helping to lift your mood, reduce stress, clear your head and help you sleep better. It’s great for your long term health too, as it helps to reduce your risk of health issues like cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses.

Even if you’re not keen on the idea of ‘exercise’, it’s often a lot easier than you first think.

Join in feel good

For tips, advice and support to get active in and around the home for the whole family click on the link below to the Fit For Me website.

And for anyone living with a health condition, the website offers advice about how to get started, the benefits of being active for a range of health conditions plus inspirational stories of how local people living with a health condition are getting active.

Fit for Me

Tips for being more active

Every little bit helps

It’s all too easy to start thinking about ‘running marathons’ and all that sort of stuff. But the truth is being active can be whatever you want it to be. As long as it gets your heart beating a bit faster and makes you breathe a bit harder, it counts. Walking, cycling and gardening – they all count!

Start small

If you’re not very active at the moment, it’s easier to start small and build slowly – aim to do at least 10 minutes of activity where you can. Then try working towards doing 10 minutes or more 3 or 4 days a week. When you feel comfortable, work your way up to doing half an hour or more on 5 days each week (or 2 and a half hours across a week if you prefer). Children need to be more active – under 5s should be active for at least 3 hours every day and 5 to 18 year olds need at least one hour every day.

Knowing you're doing enough

A good way to see if you’re doing enough is to try and sing a song whilst you’re doing an activity – if you can talk but find it difficult to sing then you’re being active.

Walk more

If you’re looking for a free, easy way to begin being more active, walking more is a great place to start. Walking lets you enjoy all the benefits of healthy aerobic exercise, without putting pressure on your joints or pushing yourself too hard. A little me time away from all stresses of modern life, and maybe take in some nice scenery too. This will help you to feel good!

Good habits

Make good habits part of your daily routine – whether taking a 10 minute walk after your lunch to help digest your meal or doing a 10 minute workout at home. It’s a good way to break up your day especially if you spend all day at home or sitting behind a desk.