We're Here To Keep Our Orkney Community Healthy, Fit & Happy During Lockdown
1) Follow our at home workout videos
Each Monday and Friday at 1pm Health, Fitness & Wellbeing Manager, Katie Rafferty, is live streaming a GRIT cardio or GRIT strength class! You can join us live on our Facebook page, or catch up on our YouTube channel if you’re not able to make the lunchtime workout.
We are also sharing a number of other exercise classes from local fitness instructors on our Facebook page as well as a number of workout videos on our YouTube channel available for people to do at home including short circuit routines and chair based exercises.
In addition, we are working closely with our partners, Les Mills and Life Fitness, who are offering free to suit all abilities classes during this time of lockdown.
2) Create a new routine
Going to work provides a routine, but with many of us home now it’s important we still have structure for both our mental well-being and physical health. The experts are advising we start a daily routine – and make the weekends different. Does it suit you and your household to get your exercise out of the way in the morning? Or perhaps you like to break up your day with a lunchtime or evening activity. Find what works best for you.
3) Exercise in and around your home
The UK government allows us to currently leave our homes to exercise once per day for a walk, run or cycle, and only alone or with the people you live with. We are very lucky in Orkney to have an abundance of space, and fresh air as well as vitamin D is especially important for our all around health and well-being. Just be sure to adhere to the government guidelines of exercising only from your home while keeping two metres (six feet) between you and anyone else during the activity.
If you have a garden, you can also get creative in your own outdoor space such as challenging yourself by seeing how many laps it takes to run a mile around the exterior of your house. Likewise, you can play garden games with those you live with, or take advantage of the nice days by doing an online exercise class outdoors.
4) Get your family involved or create a virtual challenge
Have kids at home? Get them involved too! There are a number of online resources for all ages such as dance classes, kids yoga or PE with Joe Wicks (running Monday to Friday each week at 9am on his YouTube channel). Even flying a kite on a breezy day (no shortage of these in Orkney) is a great thing to do as a family that the kids love. These are all fantastic activities that parents can get involved with as well.
If you don’t have kids at home but are keen be active with others, you can create virtual challenges with your friends. See who can skip the longest, or have a laugh and challenge a friend to do as many squats as possible with a roll of toilet paper on their heads. The options are endless!
5) Get creative with equipment
No dumbbells or weights? Purchasing exercise equipment online has become like gold dust in the midst of the crisis, so get creative! Tins from your cupboard, your children or anything that has some weight to it can do the trick.
Another option is to fill different sized plastic bottles with water and freeze them for an improvised set of weights (although you may need to consider gloves, brrr). This is a great option to reuse those single use plastic bottles and reduce waste.