Exercise can be one of the best things we can do for our mental and physical health during periods of isolation.

Exercise relieves stress and tension and increases our physical and mental energy. It’s a natural form of anti-anxiety treatment which enhances our feelings of well-being through the release of endorphins.

There are a couple of things that I have become more aware of since the lockdown started.

  1. Exercise for me has always been a way of making new friends and increasing my social circle whilst being able to help my clients with their fitness and health needs. It has become quite apparent, for me and those who I now train via video link, that exercise is only part of it. Being able to talk to someone other than our housemates is crucial to feeling good. Whether it is about swapping ideas, solving problems, discussing aches or pains or just finding out what someone else has been doing makes a massive difference to how someone sees their day. Communicating with other like-minded individuals is key to staying positive, focused and confident.
  2. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. In our allowed exercise time we have been given the time to take in our surroundings, if that means getting out for a walk or just pottering in the garden. We’ve been given a chance to appreciate small pleasures, such as birdsong, the warmth of the sun, quiet streets, sunsets or clear night skies and stars. We have time to chat to neighbours who are normally too busy to be able to stop and talk.

Take a moment to absorb the beauty that is around us! It is a time to find the positives rather than the negatives, and to make new connections – contact those people who you’ve been meaning to get in touch with but never had the time to before. Clear out your cupboards, sort out those old photographs, organise your wardrobe. Catch up on your reading or start an online art class.

We all hope that this is a one off experience never to be repeated. However, the quiet streets, clear skies and lack of crowds are benefits which we can appreciate now and, who knows, may result in permanent positive changes in our outlook and priorities. So I ask you all to take a moment, absorb the good stuff, realise that there have been some amazing achievements by so many people in so many ways, and a coming together in spirit and sentiment from all over the world. Eventually this will be over and let’s hope we will be able to keep the positives from it. Keep safe and well.

Here to support you remotely through Personal Training and Nutritional Advice

Richard Marfell Wellness Coach
07800 636004

www.richardmarfell.uk