I know how devastated some of you must be as snow blankets your path and stops you going out and doing your daily walk. Maybe you’re worried about slipping, maybe it’s just TOO COLD to even think about going out. Even though it’s VERY PRETTY INDEED you might just find yourself tempted to watch from INSIDE. So, if you’ve noticed your motivation changing ever-so-slightly in the last week, here’s a few thoughts as to what you can do to keep on track with your health in the cold snap:

Do something indoors that is roughly equivalent to your current baseline:
– perhaps 5 minutes tidying a kitchen cupboard is about the same as a 5 minute walk?
– is cleaning the kitchen floor the same as a 20 minute walk?
- dancing in your bedroom: that must surely be the same as a 6 minute walk? (no-one needs to know)
- how about playing with your cat: that can be quite active (especially, in my experience, the ‘douvet game’)
- have you considered aerobic housework or active organising (filing, cupboards etc)?
- how about cooking: you’ll need to stand and move your arms, reach into cupboards?

Of course, there is always the option of getting on 2 paris of socks, sticking on the skiing trousers and getting into your balaclava whilst cuddling a hot water bottle…..

Whatever you choose to replace your walk, just try to keep it roughly the same duration and intensity (using a clock, heart rate monitor and Borg scale if you want to be sure you don’t over-do it).

You never know: bit by bit, you might even achieve something really valuable over the next week if you plan it out and tackle it in small manageable chunks.