We are running a weekly Active Challenge!
We really want to help you all (yes you!) stuck between four walls, to stay mentally and physically well. We’re posting a weekly Active Challenge every Friday – something that can be completed indoors or close to home outdoors with BIG respect to the official government guidelines on social distancing and permitted exercise.
We’ll be linking to resources and videos as well as posting our own, bringing together the best of the ‘get active’ content online.
We hope you will join us for this journey, keeping fit and busy at home.
Please share your journey @Severnrideandstride on Facebook or email us your photos and experiences rideandstride@severnnet.org
Let’s get it on!!!
Alexa and Sam
Severn Ride & Stride
Week 4 – Virtual Adventures
Charities, companies and community groups are stepping up to give us an ‘outdoor’ connected experience even as we are diligently staying home.
This week we challenge you to try out one of these fantastic virtual active experiences.
Keep active and explore the world from afar!
Remember, you should only leave the house for exercise once a day and you should stay local and practice social distancing when you do. So get creative and find ways to do your exercise at home.
Go forth and explore
Waste Aid are running a Virtual Safari!
“Using a fantastic range of videos, photos, music, maps and Google Streetview, you are invited to immerse yourself in a wider and wilder world.”
Simply do 100 minutes of any exercise daily to unlock the next station and make your way along the safari. You can make a donation or get sponsorship to complete the whole 75km route and all money raised goes to Waste Aid.
Embed link in picture https://safari.wasteaid.org/
irecord lets you become a ‘citizen scientist’ recording wildlife sightings in your local area – this can be in your garden or neighbourhood. You don’t need to be an expert – common species are under-recorded, so records of any species are really useful. Visit the irecord website to get started.
Complete terrifying missions on Zombies, Run! immersive running game. This app forces you to flee from zombies while running in the real world. It will also let you know record how many calories you’ve burned as an added bonus.
Bristol Walk Fest was cancelled this year and they have a #virtualwalkfest campaign on Twitter and Facebook. Walk leaders will share the walks they would have led as part of the festival – if you live near one, check it out as part of your daily unit of exercise. Check out their Twitter feed @briswalkfest20
p.s Travelwest are also offering Fit Bits as prizes to people who record their exercise achievements in the next few weeks – this is totally compatible with our challenge.
Download their simple form here.
Previous weeks’ challenges
Week 3 – (In) Animate objects
Ever picked up a baked bean tin instead of a weight? How about that under-used dining chair? Lacklustre bath towel? And that slovenly pillow? They all need to get some exercise!
This week we challenge you to animate some of the objects in your house to get a good workout.
Check out some hilarious online resources below – but don’t stop there, grab what you have to hand and work up a sweat!
Remember, you should only leave the house for exercise once a day and you should stay local and practice social distancing when you do. So get creative and find ways to do your exercise at home.
Objectify!
Pillow fight your way to fitness with this great printable Darebe routine. Definitely worth getting out of bed for!
Sundried.com have come up with many excellent uses for a bath towel in this article.
If you have limited mobility then try some chair pilates on InstructorLive.com via the NHS. Or for a more intense routine try this total body chair workout from Fitnessista.
Last but not least… Burn some fat with baked beans – not on the hob though silly… try Hardcode Baked Bean HIIT with Chrisfit.co.uk.
Week 2 – Mega Legs
Walking, running, jumping, skipping, kicking – let’s give our LEGS some love this week! We often take them for granted but, if you’re like us, your lovely legs are a bit rusty from a few weeks deprived of their daily jaunts.
We challenge you to try 3 new leg focused workouts this week. We have a great variety to share as well as the epic ‘Bring Sally Up’ squat challenge.
Fitter legs take us further, but they hold up our weight all day too so flexibility muscle stretch and smooth joints are vital.
Remember, you should only leave the house for exercise once a day and you should stay local and practice social distancing when you do. So get creative and find ways to do your exercise at home.
Love your legs
Fitness Blender is an online platform with hundreds of free workout videos. Here are three of Alexa’s favourite legs workouts:
Short glute and thigh burnout – 16 minutes
Pilates workout for the lower body – 20 mins
Full leg workout and cardio – 36 minutes
Print out and try this graphic of favourites from Sundried.com
Or for a totally ridiculous burn out try the ‘Bring Sally Up’ challenge. Listen to Moby’s song ‘Flower’ and every time you hear the word ‘down’ go down into a squat, you can come up when you hear the word ‘up’! We’re sure Moby secretly intended for this song to be used in exercise classes across the land J
A ‘good’ squat means keeping a flat back, bending at the waist and trying lower your bottom to the floor. Make sure you can wiggle your toes – this means your weight is in the right place.
Alexa and her husband’s first attempt below, for your entertainment!
p.s Travelwest are also offering Fit Bits as prizes to people who record their exercise achievements in the next few weeks – this is totally compatible with our challenge.
Week 1 – Walk a marathon
Right now if you’re working from home chances are you’re becoming a couch potato, even with the best intentions!
Join us to walk 26 miles or 59,687 steps in a week! Use your phone or a pedometer if you have one, or count approximately 2000 steps to the mile, or 109 steps per minute for dancing! See here how many steps each activity gains you per minute!
Remember, you should only leave the house for exercise once a day and you should stay local and practice social distancing when you do. So get creative and find ways to get your steps in at home.
Get your steps
Short local walking and cycling routes for people in Avonmouth, Severn Beach, Lawrence Weston and the surrounding communities.
Dance your way to the finish line! With a hip hop tabata workout from Popsugar, or set an alarm every hour, blast out a favourite song and throw some shapes.
Join the kids doing PE with Joe every day at 9am or print out this simple cardio step routine from Darebe to do every morning.
Or for a sillier challenge:
- Take your favourite TV show or film
- Pick the 5 top things most likely to happen and list below in the left column
- You need to do a boxer shuffle for the whole show and each action when you see it on screen.
We did Tiger King! Embarrassing evidence to follow 
