How to boss bank holidaying during the lockdown
As we head into the bank holiday weekend, usual thoughts of attending events, trips to beauty spots and visiting friends and family are replaced with decisions about what we can all do safely at home.
For many, extra time at home might seem the ideal time to do some DIY, or some gardening. Alternatively, you might be interested in trying something new to keep the family entertained
Fancy a spot of DIY?
If you are doing DIY, please take extra care, if you are injured and need to go to the hospital you will be adding extra pressure to the NHS.
You should also consider what you will do with any waste materials created from your DIY.
As the council has had to close tips for social distancing, you will need to hold onto the rubbish until they re-open or pay for a licensed waste carrier to dispose of it correctly.
Are you pottering in the garden?
Gardening is a great form of exercise, and if you already pay for our garden waste collections these are currently ongoing.
Please do not burn your garden waste.
Fires can quickly become uncontrollable and injure people. Bonfire smoke is not only annoying for your neighbours, but it could also irritate the chests of people with respiratory conditions who may be self-isolating nearby. Which means if it is a warm day, the only way they can escape the smoke is to close windows and hide inside.
If you don’t have a garden waste collection, now might be a good time to look into composting, there is lots of advice online on ways to start and an added bonus is it cuts down on your food waste as well.
Looking for some entertainment?
Since the council has announced that its venues and open spaces will be closed for public events until at least June, now is a great time to check out what is happening digitally. Creative Kirklees has some great ideas.
We’re also posting fun things to do at home every day on our social media accounts as part of the #inourhome campaign.
If you have pre-school children check out 50 things to do before you’re five – there are lots of things you can do at home that are fun for little and big kids.
Visit somewhere new without leaving the house
If you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance of a local beauty spot or park, maybe think twice about heading there this weekend. It’s sure to be busy and likely to make social distancing difficult. Why not take a virtual trip around one of Yorkshires great attractions from the comfort of your own home instead.
Make the most of your daily exercise trip
The safest way to exercise is to do it at home, but if you do venture out, stick to your own neighbourhood. Here are some tips that will help keep you safe and make your workout more interesting.
Vary the times of day you leave the house, not only will you learn when is most busy, but it is a great way to add in some mindfulness to your exercise. As you walk, cycle or run notice how the changes in light and weather affect the things you see and how you feel.
Do some speed play and get that heart racing. In its truest sense, runners use this kind of interval training (Fartlek) to get faster, but you can even do it when walking. To play, pick an object in front of you and then pick up your pace to get to it as fast as possible, then pick another object beyond that and walk to it at a leisurely pace. Repeat throughout your route to make it more interesting. It’s also great to do with kids. Remember not to touch the object and always wash your hands with soap and water on your return.
Counting games are not just for car trips. Make your walk more interesting by choosing something to count as you walk e.g. red cars, lights on in front rooms. You can do this in your head if you are on your own or with someone from your household if you are exercising together.
Listen to an audiobook or music. Dig out the MP3 player, use a free streaming service or sign up for Kirklees libraries e-book service and download an audiobook to listen to as you walk. Make sure you can still hear cars and other people and take extra care at junctions.