Step out and step up with Derby Active at Home
Published: 28 January 2021
This year’s January fitness session is one to do from home.
Derby Active at Home, Derby City Council’s online lockdown leisure service, is back to challenge its members for the New Year and as ever, they are rising to the occasion.
This year’s January fitness session is one to do from home, following the latest Government restrictions. Everyone is encouraged to record the number of steps they do every day – whether that’s a daily walk, running upstairs, or dancing in the kitchen. Measure your step count by wearing a fitness tracker, a simple pedometer, or by using an activity app on your smartphone (as long as you keep it with you!).
The target was a combined total of two million steps within 21 days, but with participants smashing this with 3,461,879 steps in the first two weeks, it has been increased to five million! It’s not too late to sign up if you would like a little push during the final few days of the most miserable month of the year, and you can find out about how to join in on the Derby Active webpages.
Behind the challenge is the aim of looking after your mental wellbeing, as well as encouraging you to stay active. Walking makes you feel better, improving your mood and quality of sleep, and reducing stress, anxiety and fatigue. Physical activity can help to reduce your risk of becoming depressed, and help you recover if you already are.
Derby Active at Home is free for anyone to join, whether or not they are a Derby Active member. On our page you will find a timetable of our online fitness classes, led by our Health and Wellbeing advisors. These are completely free to enjoy and more than 1,600 people have already signed up to our Derby Active at Home Facebook group, where our live videos appear.
New for January are weekly articles about different aspects of health and well being, from looking after your back to tips for better sleep. Individual sessions with personal trainers via Microsoft Teams are also now available to book on the InDerby website. These cost £20 for Derby Active Health and Fitness members, £30 for non-members, and includes an initial 30min consultation followed by 4 x 45min sessions.
Councillor Robin Wood, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said:
We all need a boost at the moment, so it’s reassuring to have the Derby Active at Home team here to help us feel the benefits of physical activity, whether that’s taking a daily walk in the bracing fresh air, or following a fitness class in the comfort of our own homes.