Get moving in May!

May is National Walking Month and with all the bank holidays and longer, mostly warmer days, it’s a great time to get outdoors, get moving and get some steps in.

The monthly banana behaviours we share from Arthur Ellis Mental Health Support are based on their simple five-a-day approach to well-being and MOVE is at the top of the list:

1. MOVE

2. FOCUS

3. DISCOVER

4. COMMUNICATE

5. HELP

MOVE isn’t just good for our physical health but it has a huge, positive impact on our mental health.

In our busy lives, it can sometimes feel challenging to fit movement and exercise in. If you’re not sure how to get started - why not try one of Living Streets #Try20 tips to get walking.

As a working mum who works from home and often in meetings back to back, I try to fit in movement however I can. I opt to run or walk my little one to school in a running buggy. I park it there and run back. If I do drop off and pick up that’s three miles and about 30 minutes of movement in my day.

When I’m travelling for work, I’ll go out for a run and sometimes am lucky enough to run with fellow Women in Transport members.

Of course, I would also encourage everyone to give parkrun a go. You don’t have to run. I often walk and chat with my parkrun family. And if you add in volunteering as a parkwalker, you can get your well-being five a day in one go!

I started volunteering at Barking and Dagenham junior parkrun in April 2014. My first time running at parkrun was on 16th January 2016 in Krakow, Poland. It was a memorable run, a very cold minus eight degrees celsius and beaten in a sprint finish by my then 70 year Dad (an avid parkrunner).

My parents and brother had been actively participating in parkrun for a few years, as volunteers and runners. I had stubbornly insisted that it was not for me. I was absolutely not a runner and I truly did not understand their obsession with parkrun.

I was already quite active and went to the gym six times a week as well as incorporating walking into my commute. Movement for me has always been an important part of my well-being - mentally and physically.

When my brother started our local junior parkrun (Barking and Dagenham), I joined the core team to help out and eventually became a Run Director. I loved volunteering and, even at our small event, it was and continues to be incredibly rewarding to see families benefiting from the parkrun community. Still, it took me almost two years to start running and finally participate as a runner. And then I was completely hooked.

I can no longer imagine my Saturday and Sunday morning without parkrun and junior parkrun. In fact, it is where I fell in love with my husband, where he proposed, and where we now spend our weekends with our toddler (a mini hi-vis hero). I continue to volunteer most Sundays and occasional Saturdays. I also support our junior parkrun by managing the social media feeds.

In July 2017, I joined the parkrun volunteer Ambassadors as an Outreach Ambassador for Greater London (social deprivation) and in January this year I was honoured to be appointed as a Trustee for parkrun global.

I’ve completed over 250 parkruns in more than 60 locations and volunteered over 300 times. In May, I’m off to Finland and Rotterdam for parkrun tourism with family and friends.

I also joined our local running club in 2017, Dagenham 88 runners. Since then I’ve completed three marathons but now mostly do local races and half marathons. I’m not fast and I just plod along at my own pace doing my own thing but I love running and particularly being part of the parkrun community.

So I’m hoping sharing my story will help you find some time to add some movement to your day, however and whenever you can.

If you would like to give parkrun a go. It’s totally free. Just register once on the website, find your local event and go along on a Saturday morning for the 9am start.

You can use the Strive for Five tips here to work your way to a 5K walk.

Or try the free programmes on the WithU app or Couch to 5k.

If you do give it a go then let me know, I’d love to hear how you found it!

Sonya Byers

CEO, Women in Transport ceo@womenintransport.com