With this last year being spent mostly at home, we've learned how important it is to move our bodies on a daily basis! This can be anything from stretching in the morning, to dancing to your favourite song or even meeting a friend for a walk.
Our bodies need movement to help us to feel good about ourselves, improve our overall health and help our mental wellbeing. When we move, our bodies release those all-important endorphins, which make us feel happy, therefore boosting our mood!
Throughout lockdown many people have gone from being semi-active (going to the shop, doing the school drop, travelling to work, going to the gym or walking into town for a bite to eat) to almost nothing, so as we ease out of lockdown we may feel apprehensive about moving again.
There are a few things we can do to move more, and that could include increasing your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). NEAT is your daily activity, and is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, undertaking agricultural tasks and fidgeting. It doesn’t mean going to the gym for two hours every day!
Our bodies and priorities may have changed, as well as our motivation, so improving your NEAT is the best way to ease into moving more. Here are a few ways we can increase our NEAT and get ourselves moving...
Move More Month
If you listen to any fitness professional, the magic number of steps per day is 10,000. That can be nearly impossible for people who work sitting down all day, so choose a few simple changes that can help you improve your daily activity levels.
Outdoor Bingo
Fresh air is so good for us; it improves our immune system and gives us an endorphins boost - mark off each activity you do this month!
Lunch time routine
Stretching keeps our muscles strong, healthy and allows us to keep that wide range of motion, especially when we have been sitting all day - give it a go at your home desk!
Classes and workshops at Forest Arts Centre
Once you've eased yourself back in, it's a great time to start a fitness class again. At Forest Arts Centre we're continuing to run online classes until May, including contemporary, tap, ballet, yoga and more. The next online term starts next week with a whole host of other fitness, wellbeing and dance classes returning to venue when we open in June, all on sale now - browse all and book here.
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