So here we are in lockdown 3. Let’s hope it’s the last one! Hopefully it’ll be only a month, but by knowing what’s happening it actually helps us plan ahead, being proactive instead of reactive

The government is going to review the rules on 15 February, so all walks up to and including Friday 19 February have been cancelled. If you were booked onto a walk between now and then you will have received a full refund

In the meantime we’re going to do our best to keep you entertained and fit! Take a look below at the different classes we’ve got planned. These are open to (& suitable for) everyone, and you’re welcome to join whether you’re a Nordic walker or not. If you think online classes aren’t for you, why not give one a try? You might be surprised! All classes are free for Monthly Members, and there is a small fee for everyone else. All classes are listed on the booking system and you can book them all here

• • Smoveys – 3 x 45 minute classes per week. You’ll need a pair of smoveys to take part, but let Jane know if you’d like to rent some (£10/month)

• • Workouts – a quick 30 min session using weights or resistance bands to improve your strength. Weights can be cans of soup, bottles of water, dumbells etc, or you don’t have to use any. It’s entirely up to you. We do have some resistance bands that we’re happy to sell & post to you (£4 incl postage). Choose between light, medium and firm

• • Tone & Stretch – Stay firm and get more flexible. In these 30 min sessions you’ll tone your tum, glutes, legs & arms, whatever your shape or size. Work your muscles to move better, bend more easily and reach higher. Take control, stretch to the next level and relax. Your body will love you!

• • NeWTs Cafe – A chance to chat to others and find out what they’ve been up to (probably watching a lot of Netflix or tidying their house  )

• • NeWTs Quiz – a fun 1hr quiz that Jane’s usually made more difficult than she meant to!  It doesn’t matter how good you are, it’s a chance to get together, test your knowledge, and usually laugh at the completely ridiculous answer you put

We will be adding our Move It To Lose It cardio sessions back to the timetable as soon as Jane can use her foot!

If there are any classes you’d like to see added, let Jane know and if we can we’ll add them to the timetable

Don’t forget you can also find lots of other classes via the NWUK/WALX Virtual Platform. There are pre-recorded workouts, as well as access to online sessions by instructors from around the country. If you’ve not used the platform before, click here for a handy video explaining how it works

Challenges

We are running challenges to encourage you to get out and about. You can find out all about them on our facebook page (which you should be able to look at via the link, whether you’re on facebook or not)

1. The Great American Adventure – We’ll be exploring the 48 contiguous US states, beginning and ending at the Nation’s Capital in Washington, D.C. How long will it take us to walk all 13,669.8 miles? We’ve passed 100 miles already! Let us know how far you’ve walked and we’ll add it to the tally
2. Alphabet Challenge – Rather than taking photos of things that start (or end) with a specific letter, we’re going to look for things that LOOK like a letter! Some are going to be more difficult than others, but hopefully it’ll encourage you to get out and about, and take in your surroundings  This week is A (Tuesday) to G (Monday 11th)

Don’t forget, we have our Facebook NeWTs Members group and a WhatsApp group if you want to stay connected. Let us know if you want adding to the WhatsApp group

Lockdown Rules

Approximately 1 in 3 people who have coronavirus have no symptoms and could be spreading it without realising it, so here’s a summary of what we can and can’t do during lockdown.

– You must stay at home as much as possible

– You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary. You may leave the home to:

• • shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person

• • go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home

• • exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person, this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.

• • meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one

• • seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse)

• • attend education or childcare – for those eligible

– If you do leave home for a permitted reason, you should always stay local in the village, town, or part of the city where you live. You may leave your local area for a legally permitted reason, such as for work

– If you are clinically extremely vulnerable you should only go out for medical appointments, exercise or if it is essential. You should not attend work

– You cannot leave your home to meet socially with anyone you do not live with or are not in a support bubble with (if you are legally permitted to form one)

– You may exercise on your own, with one other person, or with your household or support bubble

– You should not meet other people you do not live with, or have formed a support bubble with, unless for a permitted reason

– Stay 2 metres apart from anyone not in your household

– The new strain of the virus is much more transmittable, so where social distancing is not possible, or inside shops, you should wear a mask (The World Health Organisation recommends 3 layers of fabric so just pulling that buff/neck warmer over your nose isn’t going to cut it)

– A face visor or shield may be worn in addition to a face covering but not instead of one. This is because face visors or shields do not adequately cover the nose and mouth.

If you have any questions, need any help, or need any local walking routes, please let us know

The Nordic Walking Tameside Team xxx