Daily Exercise – at what cost?

As the nation continues to knuckle down and comply with the latest lockdown restrictions many have been embracing the opportunity to keep a healthy balance in their lives by enjoying daily exercise. But at what cost?

Across all professional levels I have been speaking with individuals that attribute great value to scheduling time for daily exercise. It is a way for those working at home to maintain fitness levels, take in different scenery and to generally enhance their mental health. In the UK we are blessed to have access to beautiful countryside’s which have been the exact locations for many to escape to.

However, for some these escape landscapes are actually places of work, where crops and the land are a source of income and wildlife preservation. Although there are approximately 50,000 miles of Public Footpaths across Britain, as a nation we seem to have forgotten how to follow them. 

There have be widespread reports of damage to crops and wildlife habitation where fields have been trampled and the Countryside Code not adhered to. With the winter weather clearly in full swing, footpaths have become increasing muddy which in turn has created walkers to steer off course for more solid ground often at the detrimental expense of the land.

It is very important for us all to protect many areas of our lives at these very challenging times, work stability, career progression, family safety including our metal health, however maybe we can all take a moment whilst enjoying the outdoors to acknowledge that our countryside is someone else’s workplace to be protected. Let’s switch out our running shoes for a pair of wellies or walking boots and embrace those muddy footpaths so that our farmers can continue to produce our crops for consumption.