As we have entered another lockdown a lot of methods of fitness and activity have been closed off again. This includes gyms, leisure centres, pitches and tracks only being allowed for the very elite levels of sport. However, a weekly level of activity is vital to maintain your physical health, as well as mental wellbeing.
A general consensus of 150 minutes of moderate activity during the week is recommended. This can include walking, dancing, yoga or other forms of activity, and is best performed in small amounts on a daily basis, to avoid too much muscle soreness or tiredness.
Each week, year groups perform between 60 and 100 minutes of exercise in games sessions and around 30 minutes for PE, yet due to the lockdown this cannot be regulated. Though we may try our best to remain as active as we were before any lockdowns, it is easy to become sedentary at a desk, while performing online lessons, and not noticing how much of the day we spend sitting down.
What I have found to be the easiest way to avoid this is to incorporate extra activity into my daily routine. A good way to become alert and focused for the day is having a five or 10 minute session of stretching. This can help you become more in touch with the easier and more difficult motions of your body, as well as muscle flexibility and joint mobility being highly valuable in all sports. Another great method is the exposure to fresh air. This has multiple benefits such as a clearer mind, lower heart rate and promotes the production of serotonin (a chemical linked to happiness and a clearer mind). Doing breathing exercises outside can increase these benefits even further, and can be done quickly during or after school.
With the incorporation of easy activity such as this, we can maintain or improve our overall fitness over the lockdown, as well as taking care of our mental health in the coming months.
