Chances are you are now firmly back in ‘the real world’, with children back at school and holidays done and dusted. While summer can be an easy time to stay active for some (perhaps not for Aucklanders this year, but that’s another story!), it can be hard to keep it up as the cooler weather creeps in and the work keeps piling up on your desk. There’s many good reasons to make sure you get those steps in though, beyond stepping outside to hang out the washing. Here’s some whys and hows for getting exercise into your week.

Thankfully, it’s been a long time since most of us have been on a ‘lockdown walk’ – but for those who work from home, it might be a good idea to keep this Covidtimes routine up. A survey undertaken last year by Frog Recruitment found that 69% of remote workers surveyed could not find the time to exercise or ‘couldn’t be bothered’ doing it while working from home, which can become a problem if remote working is your long term plan.

Exercise not only keeps you physically fit, which we all know has copious health benefits, but it also boosts the blood flow in the brain. Getting away from your desk and taking a walk or heading off for a run in the hills is also a good way to enable lateral thinking. The change of pace and change of scenery is sometimes all you need to solve a problem.

Any change to your daily routine to fit in exercise should not be seen as taking time away from work, but rather investing in better quality work time when you are back at your desk. Remember, you are not only working when you sit in front of your computer – thinking time is valuable too, and while you’re thinking, why not move your body?

Here are some tips to help fit exercise into your week:

• Put a call out on your local Facebook page for others who WFH and see if anyone is keen for a regular lunchtime walk. Being accountable to someone else may help keep you motivated.
• Enroll in an exercise class. This has the added motivation of making you feel you need to get value for money – and you might meet some great people while you’re there! Feeding your social needs is great for your mental health when you work solo.
• Meet a friend for a weekly coffee – and make it a rule that you have to walk, run or bike to the cafe, no exceptions!
• Try some online classes and Youtube exercise videos. There are plenty online, from free videos like Yoga with Adriene or Women’s Health Workout Wednesday, to paid subscriptions like Move it Mama or Les Mills. Test a few out and see which ones suit you.
• Have a goal in mind, such as a Fun Run or even a Marathon. With one of these events on the horizon, you should find some motivation to train on a daily basis, in whichever way fits with your body and your needs.