During this lockdown me and 6 other boys from my football team agreed to do the covid 190 challenge to raise money for the NHS our challenge started on the 1st of may and we were to run and cycle 304 kilometres, everyday for this challenge I will run 5k in the morning and do a 7k cycle at night so far we have raised 1700 pounds so far i have ran 25k and cycled 35k

Since lockdown began, I’ve had my Fitbit on every day to make sure I fit some sort of exercise into my daily routine. I have been on daily walks and cycles with my family. I have also played football and basketball with my little sister to make sure she increases her exercise each day. This week I have started the couch to 5k challenge to try something new. I have made the 10k goal everyday easily.

I have also completed daily online workouts. I have done at least 2 workouts every day to keep active. I have been trying out Chloe Ting’s workouts such as the 2-week abs workout, lower abs workout, 2-week shred challenge and plank challenge. My favourite one is the plank challenge and would definitely recommend it, but I’ve not managed to persuade my mum. I have challenged her to do the Lucy Wyndham-Read 7-minute workout which we have done regularly

I am hugely missing basketball with the school and Falkirk Fury. Lucky, I have a basketball net at home and have been doing regular challenges set by Fury and Basketball Scotland using the homecourt app to improve my technique and develop my skills.

People tend to underestimate how difficult it can be, both mentally and physically, to attend the next game after being off from an injury or losing the last game. They are different scenarios, yet the outcomes are usually like one another. During pre-game warmups you begin to feel anxious, the adrenaline is high, and your mind is racing. Most likely worrying about ’what if I injure myself again’, ‘what if I have become worse’, ‘what if the team are much better than ours’. The dreaded ‘what if’. This is the worst phrase you can fill yourself with. Thinking of all the poorest possible ways the game could turn out which ultimately breaks through all the positives. Then comes doubt. Doubt of yourself, your team, your ability to play well. When the game finally starts, the mentality you have is very weak which will negatively impact on your performance. After the first 15 minutes, that is when you start to feel better but by then it may be too late as the opposing team could have a great start. 

Naturally when returning to a game everyone can get anxious, but it should never take over, this is easier said than done of course but as soon as you begin to spiral into the anxieties, self-deprecation etc. you have already lost. There are 2 main thought that can combat the negativities: trust and belief. Trust in the rehab you have being going to if you were injured. Trust in the coach who would never put you in the game if they didn’t think you could cope. Belief in yourself as an individual and belief in your team when playing together. With these 2 thoughts alone, you will go into the game optimistic. Thinking of the future and how it may turn out can be toxic as its simply something that no one knows or can control Therefore, it is far more beneficial/ healthier to focus on the present and how you manage these situations to come out the best performer you can be! 

Hope Murphy

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, school and football have been cancelled so here is what I am doing to keep fit. Every Tuesday, Thursday after I finish my schoolwork, I go on the rowing machine for 20 minutes. When I am on, I watch Netflix or YouTube on my i-pad to pass the time. On the days I do not go on the rowing machine, I usually go for a 5k run. I normally go up past the farms but today I decided to change my route and go through the Dean. At night, my dad takes me down the Dean to practice my football. It is usually fitness related. After all the running we normally have a game of football golf.

At the weekend or when I come home from playing football, I usually practice my golf short game by chipping the ball into a practice net. Hopefully, this year I will spend more time playing golf on the fairway than looking for my ball in the bushes.

On the weekend we take my neighbour’s dog on a walk to West Lothian golf course. We walk from our house up to the golf course where we walk around the golf course generally going a different way each time.

I have been doing online dance classes and paying to do zoom classes with josh denyer and adam scott etc, also I have been doing daily stretches to keep my flexibility in my hips. I have had to do my acro mock exam at home and I am still working on my ballet exam and jazz exam too and keeping my style in commercial. I have been keeping active by running every Wednesday to keep my stamina up.

Miss Stein has been so busy keeping fit during lockdown she decided to share her experiences via the use of a SWAY.

Miss Stein’s Fitness Ideas

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well and keeping as active as possible during lockdown. In the following sway I have recorded some of the things I am doing to keep my mind and body activ…

Go to this Sway

During lockdown I have been doing quite a few things to keep fit. I’m usually at swimming 4 times a week but I can’t attend it now for obvious reasons, so I needed to come up an alternative. I have been doing online body attack classes offered by Les Mills, and I have recently started jogging. I’ve also been on my trampoline every day for at least 20 minutes. Besides that, I have been using an app that has mini workouts for muscle training. Lastly, I have been stretching every day and am now fully down in my splits on one leg and almost there on the other.

Adam has been working really hard on a beginners strength and conditioning programme.  You can see what he has being doing in the picture below.  We are very impressed.  We have also attached the word document which gives you better detail about his training programme.

Adam Lee S&C Beginners Prog (1)

During lockdown, I have tried to stay active as much as possible, including using my once a day outside activity either running or walking my dogs.

Although I was ill for a time with a virus at the start of lockdown (not sure if it was THE virus or not), for the past 4 weeks or so I have tried to exercise / train at least twice a day.

This has also coincided with me getting a new canoe sprint coach who has been setting me a land based, six days a week training plan designed to increase my endurance, technique and strength until we get back on the water to paddle.

A typical week for me can include 3 or 4 runs (6km, 1500m – I am currently doing this in laps around one of the football pitches in Douglas Park), 3 or 4 Gym sessions (mix of strength and cardio work – I do this with equipment I have at home) and 5 ERGO sessions which can either be longer distance or repeated short sprints (this is a paddle machine similar to a rowing machine but for kayaking).

I use a GPS heart rate monitor to record my sessions and to stay within the required level for the session which is set by my coach.

During lockdown I have been doing many activities to keep my physical and mental health in good condition. Before lockdown I done some form of exercise everyday through basketball, pe or going to the gym, so now I have been keeping the same routine of following a 20-minute workout each day. The Joe Wicks ‘7 days of sweat’ has been my favourite classes so far! I have also taken part in the 5k run challenge for the NHS and donated money towards the cause. Doing these daily exercises has not only helped me physically, but mentally also. It has given me a sense of motivation to get up at a reasonable time in the morning and complete a session which helps me get through each day.Exercise has helped me mentally, along with playing music and making art, especially during this time. I have noticed improvements in my drawings and have been learning new instruments. This gives me a great feeling of achievement and gives me something to release/focus my mind on instead of my thoughts spiralling, helping me cope with this new lifestyle we must momentarily live in.