Take Ten outdoors this month with the #StepOutChallenge!
Stepping out of your front door even for a short walk can really boost our physical and mental health – so that’s why we are challenging you to step out for 10 minutes every day for a month.
To keep it fresh, we’ve created a Step Out Challenge chart with a different suggestion each day for things you can do while you’re walking to give your wellbeing an extra boost!
How to join the Take Ten #StepOutChallenge
To take part in the challenge all you need to do is download our calendar (an accessible version is also available), then Step Out every lunchtime for 1 month. If you'd like to join us on Twitter, then tweet the @ActiveCdale account or use #StepOutChallenge - we'd love you to share your experience!
We'd love it if you could spread the word, and get as many people to take up the challenge as you can, colleagues, friends, family or neighbours - it's a great way to build a new healthy habit, and to help improve our physical and mental health, especially for those who spend a lot of time indoors!
Why have you chosen 10 minutes a day?
Ten minutes might not sound like a lot, but it still counts as being active. If you can build in just 10 minutes of physical activity a day, by the end of the week you will have been active for over an hour - which is enough to start to feel some of the benefits of an active lifestyle. It can also have wider benefits like reducing emissions and keeping ourselves fit and healthy to reduce the strain on our NHS and other frontline services.
Why should I walk at Lunchtime?
No matter what time of year, many people find it difficult to take a proper lunch break. We hope that this challenge will help to encourage everyone to take a proper break in the middle of the day to stretch their legs, enjoy some fresh air and have some time for their own wellbeing.
What are the extra challenges for?
We know that just going out for a walk around 30 times in a month might get a little repetitive, so we've included some optional extra challenges each day to keep it interesting. We've chosen challenges that line up with the "5 ways to wellbeing" so that you experience mental as well as physical benefits.