We’ve now completed Week 6 of our local lockdown fitness initiative and our participants have walked 1600km between them. We continue to use the initiative to raise awareness and funds for Mind in Herts; we’ve exceeded our initial £100 target and it would be great if we could hit £200 by the end of the initiative. Initially Week 6 was meant to be the final week, however we intend to continue for one more week which takes us up to March, at which point there is another walking initiative being organised jointly by Active Dacorum and the The Mayors Office; they’ve partnered to bring you a new challenge for the month of March – Walk Dacorum is a 154,800 step challenge (this number is the current population of Dacorum). To take part they are asking for a minimum donation of £5; all proceeds will be donated to the Mayors chosen charity, the Daisy Cave Foundation. The charity provides grants to disabled young children age 0-25 years to pay for anything needed to make them independent. Click here for more information on the Walk Dacorum challenge. We hope that Community Walkabout participants have enjoyed our Lockdown walking challenge and are encouraged to remain active, whether or not you go on to participate in other challenges like Walk Dacorum.
At the start of Lockdown 3 we invited anyone (not just TSC Members or Hemel FC fans) to participate in a walking challenge during lockdown, commencing Monday 11th January 2021. This is part of our commitment to get the people of Hemel Hempstead active; this is a simple challenge that will hopefully encourage people to use the opportunity of daily outdoor exercise in a safe and fun way and compare their achievements with others. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.
The Prime Minister has announced new restrictions, bringing England into it’s third national lockdown. As part of the new guidelines, you are allowed to exercise outdoors with one other person outside of their household, although this should be limited to once a day and performed locally. We don’t encourage anyone to make unessential trips or lengthy jaunts, the focus should be regular (preferably daily) walks within your locale; even a brisk 10-minute walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise. The NHS “Walking for Health” website has advice and guidance for walking.
Outdoor spaces where you’re allowed to exercise include neighbourhood streets, parks and the countryside, public gardens and grounds (whether or not you pay to enter them), allotments and outdoor playgrounds. You don’t have to wear a face covering when exercising outdoors. There is not a time limit on how long your exercise should be, so technically you can walk any distance. However, bear in mind that the guidance states that excursions should be limited to once a day. The new rules state that you can only meet up outdoors with one other person from another household, or your support bubble. When around other people, the advice says you should stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household/support bubble.
Community Kickabout 