I have named this installment of the Retirement Series the ‘Third Step’ but for me it is nothing new. I am talking about keeping fit and strong. I have always been one to keep moving and finding new ways to move and stay fit are part of my everyday challenge to myself. I almost never have a day when I don’t do some sort of exercise. But what about you? Do you find it difficult or easy to stay active? I know it is not everyone’s preference. But it is so important for us to keep active in body and mind. You can start small and work up to a healthy routine. Here are some of my ideas to get you started – some you can do during lockdown, some you will have to wait for!

Waiting For a Train

What do you do when you are waiting for a train? This might sound like a silly question, but really, what are you doing while waiting? Your answer might be, standing still, looking at your phone, reading or just plain becoming bored!!

So here is my first tip: start walking!

Yes it’s that simple. If you have to wait for 10 minutes why not just walk up and down the platform for that 10 minutes? On my station I can do almost 2 complete laps of the platform in the that time and clock up around 1500 steps.

If you walk from home to the station you can clock up even more steps. Even if you drive you can walk quite a bit – try parking your car a long way from the station. Even if you allow an extra 5-10 minutes to walk the distance you will be doing yourself a favor.

If you are worried about what people will think about you walking the platform -don’t be. They are all watching their phones and won’t even notice you!

Catching a bus

How can you get fit by catching a bus? Work out how long it takes you to walk to the next bus stop away from your house or even two stops away and walk there everyday to get more steps in. You may even save money this way!

In your home office

There are lots of ways to get your steps up while you are doing your personal banking or other business. If you have a standing desk you can walk on the spot while working at the computer. I walk up and down all the time during phone or Skype conversations.

Around the house

If you have stairs in your house make sure you go up and down the stairs several times a day. Use the stairs to help you stretch out your calves. You will feel better for it! Take a walk outside at lunchtime  to help you digest your food and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

When socialising

Don’t just meet someone for coffee or lunch – go for a walk first then reward yourself with the coffee.

These are simple ways to get moving. They may seem obvious but then when you see how many people are standing or sitting on that train station you will realise that sometimes the simple things are not obvious at all!!

Of course you may have better ideas. You might like to rise a bike or play golf! We would love to hear your ideas too!

What Next?

We hope you will join us at Helpful by Nature by subscribing to our email list. We would love to hear from you, take your questions and provide answers if we are able.

Until next time,

 

 

 

 

Gillian (and Andrew)