Keeping active

Keeping Active

During the lockdowns, many of us turned to home workouts. Although local leisure centres, sports clubs and gyms have re-opened their doors, we have continued to link great ways you can remain active from home no matter your age or ability!

Make everyday activities count

You don't have to have fitness equipment to keep active at home, there are lots of simple ways that you can incorporate more physical activity into your everyday life. Here are some ideas of things that you can try:

Take the washing up the stairs in more than one load
Do some simple exercises (e.g. squats) while waiting for the kettle to boil
Do some chair-based exercises while you're watching the TV
Walk up and down the stairs a few more times than you would usually
Make the most of spring and do some gardening (when you are gardening, try and add some more movement into the jobs you normally do e.g. using a watering can instead of a hose will help to improve your strength)
Put some music on and dance
Hoover, dust, spring clean!

Janet from our health team says "Find a way to incorporate as much activity into your everyday life as possible, anything to get a bit more movement in."

Break up long periods of sitting

If you are working from home or choosing to stay home where possible, try and reduce the amount of time that you spend sedentary and break up long periods of sitting by getting up and moving for at least five minutes every hour. Here are some ideas for breaking up periods of sitting with physical activity:

Walk around when you're on the phone
Stand up and take a walk around the house between TV advert breaks
Do some chair-based activity while watching the TV
Get up regularly to make yourself a drink

Get some fresh air if you can

If you have not been told to isolate, you are encouraged to go for a walk outside whilst remembering to follow the government guidelines on social distancing. Our advice is that if you're going outside for walk, do it locally, stay close to your home and avoid places where it may be hard to follow the guidelines (e.g. at a park).

If you are unable to leave the house because you are self isolating, then do as much walking around your house and garden as possible. If you are limited for space then try marching on the spot while watching your favourite TV programme, this will still have the same effect! Alternatively click the links above to view a number of home exercises.

Remember to look after your mental health too

The outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) may be stressful for lots of people; fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and can cause strong emotions. You might also be worried about how the outbreak is going to affect your life.

Remembering to take care of your mental health and wellbeing at a time like this is extremely important too. If you're isolated or just feeling anxious about coronavirus, here are some ideas to look after your mental wellbeing:

Practise things that help you to tackle stress or anxiety. This may be gardening, reading a book, listening to your favourite music or podcast - just find something that works for you and helps you to feel better during uncertain times.
Practise relaxation and mindfulness to boost your mood. You could follow an NHS yoga workout, try some mindful breathing exercise or read hints and tips on mindfulness from the NHS.

Suffolk Mind

Suffolk Mind has put together some detailed advice and information on coronavirus and wellbeing. There are separate resources available for adults and children:

COVID-19 Emotional Wellbeing Information Hub

A new Information Hub containing resources to support emotional wellbeing and mental health has been launched. COVID-19 is creating many pressures on individuals, employees and families. The Information Hub brings together guidance, tips and support in one place on the Healthy Suffolk website. This page will be continually reviewed and updated as the situation unfolds and more information becomes available.