Movember
With the nights drawing in and the temperatures dropping, it’s not always easy to feel motivated to be active – settling in front of the fire with a warm drink can often feel much more appealing.
But with December just around the corner now is the time to push on through rather than jumping on the slippery slope! Whether you want rock your work Christmas do or justify your planned mince pie and booze intake for the month, you know you’ll always feel better for banking a workout.
And with National Stress Awareness Day on November 7th, now’s a great time to be thinking about what makes you feel good as well as look good. Exercise is proven to help you deal with pressure and reduce the impact that stress has on your life.
So, why not use #Movember as your inspiration to postpone hibernation and get moving more? Join the nation and take on fitness challenges to raise awareness and funds for men’s physical and mental health.
Globally, one man takes his life every minute. Movember’s Make Your Move challenge is to run or walk 60 kilometres over the course of the month – 60 kilometres representing the 60 men lost to suicide every hour.
That’s just 2km a day – sounds doable, right? If not, try breaking it down into smaller chunks and making it part of your current routine, like walking briskly for 10 minutes on the school run (about 0.5k), plus jogging for 10-15 minutes with a mate (1.5k). It’ll all adds up, bit by bit, step by step.
You could even adapt the challenge to suit your exercise preferences – for example try cycling, rowing or swimming instead, adjusting the target distance accordingly.
And everything you do will make a difference to your own wellbeing too - even small amounts of activity have significant mental and physical health benefits.
Fancy taking on the challenge as a team? Here are some ideas – big and small – by CoachMag.co.uk:
1. Swim or row The Panama Canal (77km)
2. Walk or run Hadrian’s Wall (135km) (84 miles)
3. Cycle Land’s End to John O’Groats (1,407km)
4. Row the Atlantic (4,700km)
5. Cycle around the world (29,020km)
Whatever and however you get moving this month, and whether your motivation is the physical and mental health of others or yourself – just remember “every move you make, every step you take…” it all counts!
If you're working out at our centres regularly, a membership will probably be better value for you, especially if we have an offer on - take a look! www.placesleisure.org/membership/
