Keep moving and #KeepItUp

For many of us, exercise isn’t just something we do to stay fit, feel well and generally take good care of ourselves. It’s a part of our weekly default timetable, something we look forward to at the weekends or an outright passion associated with personal motivation and goals – and all the feel-good stuff that goes with it.

What we’re missing

We don’t know about you, but we’re missing our usual physical activity on so many levels. We miss the freedom to take to our heels and just run wherever we want to and we miss the social connection, camaraderie and good humour of an organised run. Meanwhile, the über-competitive types amongst us miss the drive and focus of an event such as a half-marathon, marathon or adventure run, like Race to the Stones. All of a sudden, we’ve lost our footing, our routine, our incentive, our oomph and even worse, our mojo! What to do?

Your health is your wealth

In these unusual and unprecedented times there is no existing format to follow which is why many of us are starting to feel a bit twitchy now that the initial surprise has worn off. The willingness to do what it takes and Stay Home, Protect the NHS and Saves Lives is starting to feel claustrophobic.

Perhaps one of the most poignant things to emerge from this situation is that good health really is your greatest asset right now. It’s tempting to shrug, flop onto the sofa and sink into a diet of boxed-sets and hot cross buns – amenities still readily available to us currently – but these short term comforts can not only derail our fitness regimes and trim waistlines, but also our motivation to get going again when the time comes.

Keep moving

The answer is to find a new focus and keep moving. Get creative, be resourceful and find new ways to get your heart pumping and your muscles burning without straying too far from home. Needless to say, we all need to observe the Government Guidelines on social distancing and one permitted foray from the house per day. Restrictive indeed, but of course, the sooner we all abide by this, the sooner we’ll be through it and on our way back to normality.

… there’s no end of ways to beat the stay-at-home blues*.

Just follow us on Instagram where we’re posting daily activities on our stories.

Keep smiling

One of the key features of a positive outlook is resilience – and resilience can be learned and developed. This is often the trait that pushes us to do one more press up when our arms are fit to drop off, makes us run faster when we’d rather slow down, or carries us over the finish line of an endurance race when we were ready to collapse 5 miles ago. Resilience is about gritting your teeth, talking to the inner-you with encouragement, and having the ability to laugh or smile your way through adversity.

Above all, it’s important to remember that this time will pass and we’ll look back on it and find that we’ve learned a whole load of unexpected lessons.

#KeepItUp and we’ll keep posting more thoughts and ideas whilst we look forward to the day where we can all be back out on the tow paths, running track, slopes or trails again – and back in the Profeet store getting new trainers fitted!

*Please exercise responsibly and listen to your body. If anything causes pain or discomfort we recommend you stop and either try something different or seek professional advice.

Contributed by our regular guest writer: Jo Parsons