At this time of year, we should be gearing up for a burst of enthusiasm as we try our best to stick to health and fitness related New Year Resolutions. At WALX Leicester East we have been anticipating this for several months and planning an exciting programme of activities to help you achieve your targets, and more importantly, sustain your enthusiasm for self-improvement. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has put a damper on this year’s plans. Here in Leicestershire, instead of being able to offer you an exciting schedule of group walks and activities, we are now faced with pivoting once again to a restricted programme.
So, what are we planning to provide for the foreseeable future?
I am in the process of updating our programme to offer as many walks as possible for those people who feel that it would be beneficial to keep up their outdoor routines. All activities currently listed will be converted to one-to-one sessions and more will be added at different venues. We will continue to offer our Power of Poles course, so why not take advantage of the opportunity for personal tuition? You may be aware that flooding is making it difficult for us to use Everards Meadows at present, but the activities normally held there will be moved to Glen Parva War Memorial Hall so that we can still take advantage of the Glen Parva Nature Reserve and Great Central Way.
Unlike during the previous National Lockdown in November, we are now able to offer two-to-one activities for members of the same household or social bubble (see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-4-stay-at-home#sports-and-physical-activity). If you would like to walk with a member of your household, please let me know so that I can open up specific activities for you both to book. Why not speak to me about a joint membership package? You will both need to have separate log-on’s to Exercise Anywhere to book activities, but we can set up a single payment system for your membership fees or top-up. Just let me know if this is of interest.
If, as a result of moving to Tier 4 you now have to work at home, book a few walks to get away from the daily grind. The advantages of taking a deliberate break from work and engaging in physical exercise are well known and result in dramatic increases in productivity. This can be hard to achieve while you are living and working in the same environment, but you are entitled to time out during the working day so why not make it useful? You can help your mental and physical wellbeing AND work better in the long run.
Covid-19 secure procedures
For details of our Covid-19 secure procedures, please refer to the blog on the main WALX website https://walx.co.uk/walx/we-are-covid-19-secure/. Although this was written back in September the principles continue to apply:
- All walks must be pre-booked on Exercise Anywhere. If you have any problems logging on to your account or making a booking, please let me know.
- Please make an effort to keep 2m apart on our walks.
- Sanitise your hands regularly, especially if you touch anything communal such as gates or stiles.
- Wear a mask if unable to remain socially distant, especially before or after walks.
- Do not attend a walk if you or anyone you live with have had any symptoms of Covid-19 within the last 48 hours or have been advised to self-isolate by NHS Track and Trace. We would prefer to refund you so that you can re-book at a future time than risk having to self-isolate and not being able to provide activities for others.
- Please inform WALX Leicester East if you are contacted by Track and Trace after attending a walk.
Virtual Activities
For those who prefer to stay at home or can’t make it to the face-to-face sessions we will also have some online activities on the calendar. We appreciate that exercising in front of the computer isn’t the same as being outside in the fresh air (we won’t object if you choose to exercise in the garden but it might be a bit nippy at this time of year!). Nevertheless, we want to provide opportunities for everyone. These sessions will be a mixture of live Zoom classes and pre-recorded sessions, but don’t worry, we’ll be there to guide you and motivate you (and check you aren’t slacking!).
Challenge 2021
Who’s up for a challenge to start the year? If you haven’t made any resolutions yet, maybe now’s the time? I am going to pledge to walk 1000 miles in 2021 (https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/welcome). That may sound like a huge target (it does to me!) but I know that it can be broken down into manageable chunks. One hour or 2.74miles a day should do it…. I managed to walk 100 miles in a month before I started my WALX business, just with everyday activities, so I know it can be done. The challenge I shall set myself is to only record purposeful miles (referred to as Boots-On miles), and not include those incurred from everyday pottering around, which I included previously. Who’s with me? Feel free to set your own goals. I would love to join you on your journey and see what we can achieve together. I’ll keep you updated with my progress as I go along!
In the meantime, stay safe.
Amanda x