ParkLives - Free Outdoor Activities for all the Family

A few weeks ago I was asked if i'd be interested in trying out one of the activities as part of ParkLives, if you haven't heard of it, which I hadn't, ParkLives provides free activities in your local parks and green spaces.  

I had been wanting to try yoga for a while as i'd been told it may help with my Fibromyalgia. There were a few places with Yoga sessions, but Wollaton Hall was the easiest to get too and meant the family could come too if they wanted.

Unfortunately, there was another event on so it meant paying £4 for the car park as opposed to the usual £2, had the family been with me, we could have spent the whole day there but it kind of negates the free aspect of it so I was a little disappointed. However this is just Wollaton, most other locations have free parking.

When I arrived, Lisa, the instructor was just setting up, it was easy to see where she was because she had the ParkLives banner with her, details of the location are also on the activity booking form so make a note of where you need to meet.

Mats were provided but if you had your own then you could bring it along, I didn't have one so I used the ones provided, I did take some water though.

Lisa was really lovely and I spoke to her for a bit before it started, as I am a complete newbie to yoga I was worried I wouldn't be able to do any of it, especially with the Fibro, however she explained if I couldn't do it to stop or she could give alternative positions for me to work in.

There were a few regulars to the event and another newbie on the session, it was really nice and I felt completely relaxed and not at all like I was being judged by anyone who had more experience.

There are so many different events as part of ParkLives, from netball to frisbee, football to tai chi as well as healthy walking and best of all it's free. 

I can highly recommend checking out what ParkLives has to offer, I for one will be back for more sessions, I may even take the family this time. ParkLives sessions are currently taking place in and around Nottingham, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester and the London Borough of Newham.

NB: This is a collaborative post, however all words and opinions are my own.

Starting my Fitness Journey

My health at the moment is not that great, with exhaustion like I've hit a brick wall most afternoons, I know something has to change.

So, after a chat with a colleague about running, I decided it was time to do something about this and try doing the Couch to 5K.

Sainsbury's currently have the Fitbit Flex on offer, so I bought this to see how many steps a day actually do.

It's super simple to setup and looks just like a watch, it can be worn in the shower and the soft plastic strap doesn't rub. Using the app on my phone I can keep track of how many steps I am taking, as well as monitoring my sleep, calorie intake and how much i'm burning throughout the day too.

People often label stay at home mums as lazy, assuming all we do all day is sit on the sofa or in a cafe and drink coffee.

Well yesterday I did over 12,000 steps, I walked around the park, the shops, did the school run and generally went about my day.

So I know I am covering about the right amount of steps a day but now I need to get ready for the Couch to 5k. I have some great products coming my way to make things easier so stay tuned for my progress reports and reviews.