Hi Everybody,
I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and well.
The Spring sunshine has been with us the last few days in Southeast England and the fine weather looks set to continue over the weekend. In regular times this would’ve meant that my hiking boots would’ve been on as the morning sun broke through the curtains and I’d have been straight out the door ready for a new adventure.
But these aren’t regular times as Covid-19 lurks about. The Government’s advice has permitted us Brits to pop out for exercise once a day. However, the advice increasingly points to us staying in more. Like a lot of people I know I’ve decided to not go out at all (apart from a supermarket run once a week). A lot of us are rightfully having to forego time out in the wilderness in order to stay safe.
I wrote a blog post a week or so ago about doing ten thousand steps at home. I’ve been trying to maintain that – some days are more successful than others – and looking to build on that in terms of ideas to motivate me. A quick bit of maths informed me that if I do 288 laps of my garden, then I’ll do those ten thousand steps. That seems monotonous, yet it’s also a challenge I’m prepared to undertake.
I’ve figured there are a few ways to mix it up. I’ll try it at different times of the day: the mornings are lighter now and it gets darker later in the evening. Maybe I could do a night time garden walk! Walking at different times will give me a chance to compare the sounds of nature through the day. Maybe I’ll put my hiking boots on and pack some food and drink to simulate a hike. Though I may receive a few random looks from neighbours, it’ll be worth it.
I think it’s important to make use of the space you’ve got at the moment. I guess up until now I just took my garden for granted; to me, it was just a green area that needed mowing every couple of weeks. Now, it has more meaning and value than I previously thought.
Others will live in apartments and may not have access to green spaces right now and may come up with even more imaginative ways to pass the time and gain fitness.
Wherever we live right now I think it’s more important than ever to appreciate the space we have. Then, whenever we can return to the outdoors, we should appreciate that with renewed vigour too.