How to optimize your daily outdoor exercise
As the UK lockdown continues, your daily one piece of outdoor exercise may start to feel monotonous. Walk at 12pm before lunch for an hour down the same piece of road and the same woodland blah blah bah. Don’t fret, UrbanU has gathered its best advice to make sure you continue to get the best out of your daily exercise whilst maintaining social distancing and adhering to government guidelines.
Early Mornings
Getting up early for a run or walk has so many benefits. If you live in a town or city, chances are early mornings will mean less people in the streets making social distancing rules easier to adhere to. Waking up early in the morning to go out and exercise will help you establish a routine and increase productivity during the day. Research by Jim McKenna at the University of Bristol displayed how mental sharpness and working performance were consistently higher in those who exercised in the morning. Similarly, in a study by the University of Carolina, it was proven that early morning exercise helps to ‘supercharge’ cortisol, the hormone responsible for waking you up, levels in the body making you fell more alert sooner and for longer during the day. In addition to this, waking up and exercising will release endorphins, improving your mood and in turn reducing stress levels and improving sleep quality. As if all this were not enough to get you setting an earlier
By Robyn McLaughlin
alarm for tomorrow, a study by Appalachian State University’s Dr. Scott Collier in blood pressure revealed how the earlier you exercise, the lower an individual’s blood pressure, with an average of 10% reduction which would then remain low during the day. Not too bad for 30 minutes less sleep.
Create challenges for yourself
A great way to get the most out of your daily outdoor exercise is to set yourself some challenges to do along the way. This could be absolutely anything. Try writing a list of 5-10 objects, plants or car models you must find whilst on your walk. Or maybe try increasing the time you run adding a couple of minutes a week or perhaps a mile to your cycle. Do not increase too quickly as this can cause injury!
By Robyn McLaughlin
There are lots of great apps out there to help you keep on top of your fitness that will help keep track of progress made. Map My Run and Map My Cycle show the route you have taken, how far you have gone, calories burnt etc. Both are available with free versions which have everything you need to use them. The BBC’s Couch to 5K app is an excellent way to get up off the sofa and running five kilometres in 30 minutes in only nine weeks. It is very user friendly and you will possibly be surprised at your fitness level when you begin.
Switch it Up
The UK has been in lockdown for over a month now and maybe that same walking route is starting to become too familiar or perhaps it is starting to feel like more of a chore to go out than it should. It may be time to try out a different routine. If you can, try to alternate between walking, cycling and running perhaps week about or day about. Not only will this add variety to your daily routine, it will also help you work on different
By Robyn McLaughlin
muscle groups and reduce the risk of sustaining an overuse injury. When you walk out your front door, you normally go left, right? Well tomorrow its your time to go right. Take a new route and discover a new street or a new bit of woodland that you otherwise would not have.
Be
Inventive: Use what is available
With gyms and leisure facilities on the list of non-essential business’s, many of us have been left feeling a bit lost without easy access to gym equipment and trainers. However, with a bit of ingenuity almost anything can be made into training apparatus. Try using your doorsteps to create a step workout for yourself or perhaps this is a great place to do push ups whilst moving up and down the steps with your hands. That oak tree in your back garden is your new pull up bar. Those logs for firewood? They are your weights! With a little imagination, your garden can be your new temporary gym.
Use this time to
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reflect...
Most importantly, lockdown has been challenging not only causing physical restraints but also influencing our mental health. Your one piece of exercise a day should not only be used to stay fit but should also be a time where you can clear your mind and recentre the body. The Centre for the Healing Arts and Sciences say that ‘Self-reflection helps to build emotional self-awareness. By taking the time to ask yourself the important questions, you gain a better understanding of your emotions, strengths, weaknesses and driving factors. Once you understand important aspects of the self, you become better
By Robyn McLaughlin
By Robyn McLaughlin
able to adapt to changing situations and tough circumstances.’. Being able to comprehend what is going on in the world right now may be difficult but standing back and focusing your energy will help you take the steps to trying to understand how things are working just now.