How to stay active during lockdown 2

As England prepares for a second coronavirus lockdown, there are still plenty of ways of keeping fit and active.

The lockdown means that from 5 November team sport in halls and parks has to stop for at least four weeks and activities such as swimming at leisure centres can't happen because they are closing until 2 December.

Research by Sport England has shown that children taking part in physical activity for an hour or more dropped from 47% to 19% during the first lockdown. Meanwhile schools have offered fewer PE lessons and sports activities since reopening.

However, when children in the survey were asked about keeping active, many said they want to exercise more, not only to stay physically healthy but also because it helps them relax and worry less.

Over a quarter of children and young people said that doing PE, sport and exercise had made them feel better during restrictions while over a third said that they now see sport and PE as more important than before the first lockdown.

So here at Newsround we've come up with a few ideas to stay active when restrictions make it difficult.

Outdoor walks

As part of the new lockdown rules, people can still meet for exercise, such as a walk, with one other person from another household as long as they maintain social distance.

That means that if you're outside with your parents you can't meet up with friends, even if they are part of your school 'bubble'.

Not all playgrounds will close, but you'll still need to keep your distance from children that you don't live with.

However, while at school classroom and year group bubbles can carry on doing PE in the same way since lessons restarted.

Young children under school age, or those who require help from parents because of a disability don't count towards the limit on two people meeting outside.

A family member, such as a grandparent who lives alone can join your house to form a 'support bubble'. That means they can also go for walks and exercise with you, inside or outside, without the need to socially distance.

Places you can enjoy walks include parks, beaches and the countryside.

Autumn is a nice time to be outside because although the air is colder, the colours on the trees look amazing!

Gardens

Unfortunately the rules mean you can't invite a friend round to play in your garden if your house has one.

But you can use that outside space to exercise with your family who you live with and an adult who is in your support bubble.

In July, 10-year-old Imogen decided to do a whopping 7.1 million keepy-uppies to represent each of the 7.1 million key workers living in the UK.

Lots of people joined her on her quest, including some big celebrity names and she has now achieved her goal, well done Imogen.

She even got to meet Captain Sir Tom Moore to give him a Pride of Britain award!

Speaking of Captain Sir Tom, the 100-year old inspired many this year as he raised millions of pounds for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.

He is encouraging people to keep walking during this lockdown and post what they are doing on social media to help combat loneliness.

Sir Tom said: "I would like us all to stand shoulder to shoulder - metaphorically!

"Let's try not to get downhearted, we will get through this, whatever is thrown at us and together we can ensure that tomorrow will be a good day."

Online fitness classes

If you haven't got a garden or much green space where you live, then online fitness classes might be a good way to stay active. There are literally thousands of exercise classes online and many are suitable for kids.

Joe Wicks has announced on his social media that he will be returning to recoding his exercise class - Wake Up With Joe.

He told his followers he would be recording them for 'however long it (lockdown)' takes.

More exercises and challenges at home

If online lessons aren't your thing, there are lots of things you can do at home to stay active.

In April, during the first lockdown, kids from a cubs group in Stockport climbed a whopping 8907 metres, which is 59 metres higher than Mount Everest - the tallest mountain in the world!

None of them actually went up a mountain though, instead they all went up and down their stairs, 17 cubs and four leaders got into the spirit of things by dressing up like mountaineers and even had to deal with fake snow.

Elsewhere six-year-old Austin who lives in Birmingham, Alabama in the US came up with his own exercise routine to keep children like him active during lockdown.

And if none of those appeal why not put on some music and have a dance round your living room? It doesn't have to be a structured class to get your heart pumping and improve your mood.

What are you planning to do to stay active during lockdown? Let us know in the comments below.