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5 ways to get involved in our Miles for Mental Health challenge

5 ways to get involved in our Miles for Mental Health challenge

29/04/2020

Looking after our physical and mental health during the current situation can be a challenge for lots of people. A great way to do this is to exercise once a day in line with the government guidance. There are many ways to be active! Be it with a walk, run or jog or whilst you’re at home inside or in the garden.

Whilst motivation to exercise can be a challenge for many people (especially right now!) Just including more movement into everyday tasks can help. As can having a sense of purpose to work towards, like fundraising. So why not sign up to our ‘Miles for Mental Health’ challenge and raise a bit of cash for a great cause along the way!

Here are some ideas to help you move more and reach your target, from Barry our physical activity programme manager.

Walk & Talk

It’s quickly become the highlight of many people’s day, the one daily walk or run that we’re currently allowed. If you go on your own, whilst listening to your favourite podcast, with your dog or members of your household, it’s a great way to recharge and be active. It’s also a perfect opportunity to give a friend, family member or vulnerable person a call to check in and see how they are. You could even arrange to walk and talk on the phone at the same time to feel that sense of connectivity and shared motivation to get out and be active.

Gardening

Keep a track of your steps as you potter around with a step counter, or an app on your phone and add them to your final total. Turn the garden into a relay track and shuttle back and forth as you go. If you don’t have a garden, use your 30 minutes of exercise time to admire your neighbours front gardens as you walk past or check out the local park’s trees, shrubbery or flower beds.

Try a new routine

Bored of your local supermarket? Fancy a change of scenery? Walk to one just a little bit further away and track how long it takes you to walk there. If you can collect something for your local food bank and drop that off whilst you’re at it all the better, plus more steps towards your target!

Turn pedalling into steps

If you prefer a nice bike ride over a walk, then why not convert your bike ride into steps? The general rule to follow for converting cycling into steps is:
1 min Low intensity (gentle) = 85 steps
1 min Moderate/Brisk intensity (comfortable) = 150 steps
1 min High Intensity (tolerable intensity but not for a long period of time) = 200 steps

Drop something off

Missing your friends or family? Or if you know someone locally who’s self-isolating alone. Show them that you care by dropping round a card, a treat or something that reminds you of them. Drop it through their letterbox and make sure you wash your hands before handling. Don’t forget to track how far you are walking/jogging and add it to your total!

Activate your housework

When those chores mount up why not turn them into a great opportunity to be active! One way to do this could be to set down your ironing pile in the bedroom and set up your ironing board in another room as far away as you can go in your home. Each time you finish one item you then have to walk back and forth to get the next.

About Miles for Mental Health

Miles for Mental Health is Rethink Mental Illness' very first virtual walking/jogging/running challenge and we would love you to join and be a part of our mission, improving the lives of people affected by mental illness.
At a time where government guidelines mean we have to keep our distance socially, we want to our supporters to remain close to our cause by keeping active and working towards the goal of completing a marathon distance over the course of one month, be that in your garden, round your front room, or out during daily exercise.