The closure of gyms, fitness centres and pools for the health and safety of all Australians has left many wondering how to maintain their health and wellbeing during this time. While it may be a little difficult to build new healthy habits with daily life having changed so much, it is important to try and make your mental and physical health a priority.
If you are looking for a simple way to keep active, why not give walking a go? Walking can be a great way to get out and active and can be done anytime, anywhere. Some of the many benefits of walking including helping to increase your cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and endurance, and contributes to a naturally upright posture.
To start to incorporate walking into your everyday routine, here are a few simple and easy tips:
- Make the activity a priority by scheduling it into to your daily routine. If you are too tired at the end of the day, try and go for a walk in the morning before work, or make a commitment to going every day during your lunch break and see how quickly the habit will form!
- If you are more goal orientated, set the goal of walking 10,000 steps a day. Even challenge your friends or family and see who can hit the target for seven days straight!
- If you prefer to exercise after work, walking can be a great way to de-stress from your workday and help you unwind for the evening. Try and challenge yourself to not look at your phone, and take in your surroundings.
- You may not be able to turn your walk into a face to face catch up, but that doesn’t mean you can’t socialise with friends virtually while walking. Facetiming or calling your loved ones while heading for a stroll can make the time go by much quicker and gives you a chance to connect with those you haven’t seen in a while
If you need a little more help to get out and moving, the Just Start Walking app is a great tool. It allows you to set reminders about going for daily walks, tracks and maps your walks, connects to Spotify and so much more. It also allows you to save your walks so you can track you progress. Use the app on your next walk by downloading it for free from the App Store or Google Play.
Your local ACA chiropractor can also provide you with advice and assistance on improving your spinal health and overall wellbeing during this time. To find your local ACA chiropractor visit findachiro.org.au
