Here at Boot Routes we know how important it is for your well being to spend time in the great outdoors. The importance of keeping active physically and mentally cannot be emphasised enough. So we've put together a few ideas to help keep your body and mind active during these anxious times. Here are some activities that you can do at home or on your daily exercise.

Indoors

Learn map reading - Get the knowledge now, then you can venture out with confidence as soon as lock down is lifted. Alternatively if you prefer to learn face to face outdoors then book onto one of our navigation courses. There are also some excellent resources for beginners on the Ordnance Survey website https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/beginners-guides-map-reading/
Read a book - It doesn’t need to be war and peace, but anything that interests you to keep the grey matter ticking over. There are some fantastic inspirational books out there, and one of my recent favourites is ‘Cairngorm John’, which gives you an insight into the workings of a Mountain Rescue Team.
Do an online diploma - Last year I did a Level 3 diploma in Conservation, this year I am doing one on ‘Shinrin Yoku’ (Forest Bathing). You don’t need to pay a fortune, the latest one cost me £30, so I had nothing to lose really. Anything that can help me engage with nature and gives me something else to talk about on our wildlife walks has got to be beneficial. The first one only took me a week.
Stair challenge - Keeping yourself fit during lock down can be a challenge, and trying to stay mountain fit is a bit more difficult. During the first lock down I climbed my stairs 350 times in a single session to simulate the climb up Snowdon from Pen Y Pass, obviously the views were not the same but it kept my leg muscles ready for when I was able to venture out again. If this sounds a bit much for you, then there are plenty of fitness videos on You Tube and plenty of free fitness apps for your phone. Anything that keeps the endorphins flowing will keep you feeling good and motivated.
Online workshops - Over the last few months I have attended dozens of online zoom workshops, everything from Tree identification with Woodland Classroom, Winter Skills with Plas y Brenin, evening training sessions with my local Mountain Rescue Team and countless other excellent workshops with Mountain Training Association. There are plenty of free ones so you don’t have to spend a fortune.
Clean your kit - Get them boots clean and waxed, get them waterproofs reproofed, check the batteries in your head torch, check the dates on the drugs in your First Aid kit, so you’re ready to rock and roll on release day.
Map Art - Have a go at map art, study a map of the area near to where you live, and try and figure a route where the outline of the walk looks like an animal, person or other object.

Outdoors

Explore your local footpaths - During Lock down, you can’t travel out of your area to visit the Lake District or the snow capped mountains of Scotland. So take this opportunity to investigate the footpath network near to where you live. I have found some fantastic routes recently, and seen some amazing wildlife, views and discovered a bit about the local history.
Get a bird feeder - Build your own bird feeder, or order one online, and they’re not overly expensive. After getting my bird feeder, I have seen a few new arrivals to my garden include Sparrow Hawk, Tree Creeper, and Blackcap. I also have Robin and Wren in the back field which have given me loads of photographic opportunities, and with RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch coming up, this is a great time to get a bird feeder and help our feathered friends during the harsh winter months.
Watch a sunrise or sunset - During winter there can be some spectacular sunrises and sunsets, my preferred option is sunrise as I also get to be serenaded by the dawn chorus of the birds waking up. Who doesn’t love a nice red sky, and is definitely good for the soul.
Take a photo of the same scene everyday during lockdown - Find a scene near to your house and take the same photo for as many days as possible, then stitch them together on your computer to make it look like a time lapse.
Do a litter pick - Take a plastic bag out with you and a pair of garden gloves and don’t stop walking until the bag is full. This can be quite rewarding and is also good for the mind as you feel like you’ve done something positive for the environment, and for your local community.
Plant some wild flowers - Order some wild flowers online now, so that you can plant them, and watch them grow during spring and summer. In turn these flowers will attract more insects and pollinators, and then more birds. Please make sure that the seeds are natural British seeds and that there are no none native species mixed in with them, please also make sure it is from a reputable supplier.
Explore the night sky - The winter constellations of Orion, Taurus etc are easy to identify and on a clear night are simply stunning. If you’re really lucky and live in a dark sky area you may even see the Northern Lights . There are some great free apps for smart phones where you hold your phone to the sky and it tells you what every thing is.
Set yourself a challenge - Join us and thousands of others to complete the Country Walking magazine ‘1000 mile challenge’ which is only 2.74 miles a day https://www.walk1000miles.co.uk/ or try the Trail Walking magazine ‘Everest anywhere challenge’ https://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/everestanywhere There are numerous benefits for setting yourself goals, the main one at the moment is that it gives you a focus, something to aim for and therefore helps reduces time spent worrying about other matters. Plus a 2.74 mile walk each day will also increase your fitness levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes, and is also great for your mind.
Try Geocaching - There are millions of hidden caches around the UK, and it is highly likely that there will be several within a mile of your house. Visit Geocaching.com and see if you can find them all.
Discover Orienteering - There are one or two orienteering courses near to where I live, and they are dozens of others spread across the UK. If you are lucky enough to have a course near to you then you should be able to download and print the course maps. https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/goorienteering Then use your daily exercise slot and your newly found map reading skills (see above) to find all the check points. You can even walk it, you don’t have to run it.

Thanks for reading, if you think of any others then we would love to hear them.

Blog

Don’t let lock down get you down.