In the second of a five-part series on wellbeing and wellness with a rural focus, we look at being active.
We all know in theory how much better we could feel after a good dose of exercise or time spent outdoors. Research is plentiful, but prioritising it can be achallenge.
Look for little ways you can get more activity into your day.
It may be hard to break the cycle of coming home from a hard day's graft just to catch your breath on the couch, or to sleep in as long as you can on a Sunday — but a simple 20-minute walk can have huge benefits to mood, energy and self-belief.
Adding exercise into your routine for as little as three times a week is shown to have a positive impact. The key is to do what you enjoy.
• Get up slightly earlier and walk up the road to catch the sunrise. • Turn on the lawnmower at dusk and do a few laps around the lawn in the fresh air. • Offer to coach a local sports team or youth group to get out and about. • Buy a bike — it doesn't need to be an expensive one — and start riding. • Join a walking group if you don't like doing it alone. • Download a yoga app and do some stretches to start off or break up your day. • Try a new sport and get exercise while meeting new people. • Plan a holiday based on a few walking tracks in that area. • Walk to the top of the hill instead of taking the truck and take time to absorb that special view. • Head out fishing, using the time on foot to get in walking time. • Drop your car off at the children's bus stop. Walk home, then back in the afternoon. • If in town, go to the pool for a few laps before heading home. • Walk any bush on your farm putting out pest traps.
- Mischa Clouston is contracted to DairyNZ's wellness and wellbeing team, a sheep, beef and deer farmer's wife, and rural practice nurse in North Otago.
