How to Boost Your Fitness and Health this Spring

Walk to Work Day took place earlier this month, and so you might be wondering how you can stay active and healthy this Spring. Getting active can be hard for many people, as often the motivation is just not there – or rather, there is too much motivation to have a cheeky treat or two. However, everybody can get fit whilst still enjoying themselves, including through walk to work day. 

Ready to hear how you can get one step closer to being a health and fitness fanatic?! Let’s have a look at our top tips on how to stay active at your own pace.

Set realistic goals

I would love for nothing more than to wake up tomorrow morning and have lost a stone, have a six pack and be fit enough to run a marathon – a pipe dream, I know. These goals are so unrealistic as nothing is going to happen overnight. Set realistic, achievable long-term goals – this way, your new adoption of fitness and health is more likely to become a consistent part of your daily routine. Expecting massive change over a short period of time will leave you frustrated and unmotivated when it doesn’t happen. It is also extremely unhealthy, so take it easy and achieve over time. 

Don’t over do it 

As I said before, nothing will happen overnight. It is SO important that you don’t push yourself beyond your limits, as this can be dangerous and can actually do more harm than good. There is nothing wrong with working out 5 days a week, however, for some people doing this straight away would completely burn them out. That is totally fine – go at your own pace. So, start with one 20-minute jog a week, and then the week after go twice. No matter how big or small, fitness and health progress is fab. There are two easy ways you can ease into a more active lifestyle without overdoing it:

• Take part in Walk to Work Day – Walk to work day isn’t as simple as it sounds for everyone, however, there is no reason why you can’t take part in some shape or form. On April the 1st, everyone is being encouraged to walk to work to boost their health and fitness as well as help the environment. If you leave quite far away from the University Centre, and usually take the bus, why not walk a few stops before hopping on. This way, you can still get to your studies accessibly whilst also just doing a little bit extra for your fitness.

• Do the NHS’s Couch to 5K – For some, doing a 5K would be a walk (or jog) in the park – for others, this would be a huge achievement. If a 5K seems very daunting right now, please don’t do it! Work towards it instead. The NHS have a ‘couch to 5K’ scheme, encouraging people to go from sitting on the sofa to being able to do a full blown 5K. So, this may be starting at 1K, and working your way up over time. It is a great way of getting fit through working towards a set goal, and there is no reason why the whole family can’t join in. 

Don’t compare yourself to others

A really important top tip is to not compare yourself to others, whether that be how fit you are, or how your body looks. Fitness and health improvement are all about self-love and improving your lifestyle. Of course, for some it’s lovely to see hard work pay off through weight loss and dropping a dress size. But, this is not what fitness and health should be about. The world has created this ‘ideal image’ for men and women through damaging social media posts, and it is important to realise a lot of these ‘ideals’ aren’t realistic or even real. YOU are beautiful just the way YOU are. You don’t need to lose weight, eat salads, get a six pack – who is that benefitting? If you want a ‘summer body’, sure, go for it and hats off to you for creating an end goal. But if you want to get fitter and still enjoy a McDonalds or two, good for you. Your fitness journey is your own, enjoy it, and understand every-body is different.

Embrace a positive mindset

Finally, taking part in Walk to Work Day, or any kind of physical exercise, can do wonders for your mental health. Getting in the zone and focusing on an activity or goal can stimulate the mind, release endorphins, and make you feel amazing. It is a common fact that exercise really is the minds best friend – pretty much everyone in lockdown gave exercise a go to improve their mental well-being. Also, being active can help positive feedback loops, giving you more motivation to continue exercise further down the line. Anything that benefits mental health is certainly a fantastic addition to your life. 

So, there you have it, our top tips for getting fitter, healthier, and doing your bit for walk to work day!

Find out more about walk to work day

Find out more about our health and social care courses