Tyler's guide to getting back to being active and why you should do so

I think it's fair to say that sometimes we are all guilty in some way of not doing enough to keep active and live a healthy lifestyle. We all struggle at some point with motivation and can often fall through with plans we have made and goals we set.

With the pandemic hitting and the number of remote workers soaring, people have been confined to their homes for much larger periods of the day. It’s inevitable that as a developer, a large portion of that time is spent sitting down, and it’s not uncommon for us to stay on our PCs long after the workday finishes. As a result, we have lower activity levels and many of us have found ourselves putting on some “lockdown pounds”.

In current times, you could argue it’s more important than ever to ensure that you have good mental health, and exercising is well known to have a direct effect on your mental wellbeing. It’s not necessarily about becoming a “fitness freak” or “gym rat”, but more so about making simple, manageable changes to keep ourselves healthy.

A great way to help increase your steps and burn more calories would be to walk the short distances that you would typically drive. My gym is a mile away and provides an excellent opportunity for me to get in an easy extra couple of miles walking each day. You could also try walking your dog a longer route. You’re already out of the house, so why not take advantage and go the long way home?

Why not track and increase your average step count in a week? Most smart phones come with a step counter built in. Failing that, a quick search on eBay will return hundreds of step trackers for under £10. Ideally the “magic” number to aim for here is 10,000, but as long as you’re increasing your steps from what they were, you’ll be benefitting.

Another tactic I’ve employed is to book an obstacle course race a couple months in advance that I will need to train for. I’ve booked it with a work colleague, so there’s really no backing out, and will mean that I need to get out running at night whether I want to or not if I’m to avoid failure and embarrassment come race day! You don’t have to book an obstacle course race; any event will do. It might be just the motivation you need to get out and be active. If that doesn’t interest you, perhaps running with a friend, booking a gym class, rock climbing or cycling might.

Call up a friend and ask if they’ll join you. While you might struggle for motivation alone, having a friend by your side may just give you, and them, the extra push needed to get back to being active.