The Great Outdoors

Written by Kirsty Warwick, Trustee – Wimbledon Community Association

As the nights draw in, and temperatures drop, it can be tempting to just bunker down indoors for the winter months. And for someone like me who works from home as a freelancer, there’s a real danger that I could literally not leave the house for days. And further exacerbated by our dependence on screens, for many people that can be a real issue impacting their physical and mental health and creating a greater propensity for loneliness and depression. So if there’s one thing I learnt from those Covid times (remember those?!), it was to get out of the house and make the most of that hour outside that we were allowed. Whilst now we’re not under such restrictions, other than by our screens or busy lives, I know the difference that getting outside in all weathers does for my mental and physical health; even if I do sometimes have to force myself. I really benefit from some light and the fresh air even if it is sometimes cold and miserable.

Whilst I started off by walking round the block, enjoying local green spaces and parks, or grabbing a coffee from one of our independent coffee shops nearby, I soon started to want to explore further afield and that’s when I dug out my bike again and started to cycle more. The freedom of cycling into London around Buckingham Palace and Westminster sights with no road traffic and very few people was really appealing and the appeal hasn’t worn off as the traffic and crowds have increased.

London is fast becoming a cycling city. As each new piece in the network appears—which has more than quadrupled from 90 to 431 km since 2016—so do new cyclists. Its infrastructure now sees a stunning 1.5 million daily users—a 43% spike since 2019—moving nearly half as many people as the Tubes below our city. There are now twice as many bikes as cars on City of London streets during the day, and people cycling make up 56% of all road users during peak commuting hours.

And whilst we might all (myself included!) moan about dumped lime and forest bikes taking up some of our streets (or blocking bike stands for our own bikes!), at least it’s encouraging people to get out and about. I try and incorporate cycling into most local journeys (even choosing that over walking) and rarely use a car now. And I have regular cycle buddies I go out with for longer leisure cycles. And before you shout, ‘but what about those who can’t cycle?’, there is a way. There are lots of initiatives like Wheels for All and Wheels for Wellbeing who provide bikes, training and support for inclusive cycling – we even have Merton Trike Club that meets regularly in Morden Hall Park or Canon House for group rides and trials. And I’m signed up as a cycle buddy with Merton Cycling Campaign to support those who want to learn routes and gain confidence. Schemes like Bikeability or the great work that the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) does is enabling more to get out on bikes or other active travel and there’s a fantastic second hand bike market so cycling doesn’t have to be all about Lycra-clad cyclist on fancy expensive bikes.

If you don’t fancy cycling, it can be easy to incorporate walking into your life too. Even just a 10 minute brisk walk each day (so your breathing and heart rate are faster and you feel warmer) can make a difference for physical fitness. A colleague has a power walk every morning to awaken her senses before she returns to her laptop at home. My husband and I will often take a lunchtime stroll if we’re working at home and others I know challenge themselves to do at least 10,000 steps each day. Getting some fresh air and vitamin D, and saying hello to strangers, helps with our mental health as much as the physical benefits of a brisk power walk or run. It gives us more energy, improves memory and problem-solving, reduces stress, anxiety and depression and helps us sleep better. There are some great initiatives to encourage better mental and physical health and improve wellbeing. Things like the fabulous Walk and Talk we have around the Merton borough. And my husband and I have started to enjoy exploring London with longer walks using books like London’s Hidden Walks that feature short 2-5 mile walks around a pocket of London – we’ve learnt so much more about the history of an area and discovered things we never noticed before on our doorstep.

Inevitably many of my walks and cycles revolve around pitstops for food and drink. And for those who live alone, getting out can be hard. But with initiatives like Meet Up Mondays, community spaces like the Little A.R.K and businesses like The Alex pub in Wimbledon, The Sound Lounge in nearby Sutton, or The Chatty Cafe scheme (one of our newest Wimbledon members – based at both Deen City farm Tuesdays/Wednesdays 2-3pm and the Potting shed cafe at Morden Hall Park Tuesdays 11-12noon), that warmly create initiatives to help reduce loneliness and increase friendships, there really are no excuses not to encourage you out of the house.

So why not make that your New Year resolution?! So rather than say “I’m joining a gym” or “getting fit”, why not resolve to “just get out of the house and enjoy my surroundings” and you never know where that may lead…

Wheels for All

https://wheelsforall.org.uk

Wheels for Wellbeing https://wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/

Merton Cycling Campaign

http://www.mertoncyclingcampaign.org.uk/

Bikeability

https://www.bikeability.org.uk

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans)

https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk

Walk and Talk