With the coronavirus restricting many to social isolation at home, it’s vitally important to keep active for both your mental and physical health. 
Exercise is of course beneficial for your body, but it has also been proven to improve your mood. 

Here are some great ideas for how you can stay active during this time…

SUPERKICKS

Available to download completely for free via the Apple App Store or Amazon App Store, The FA and McDonald’s Superkicks App is a great way to get your child moving at home. 

There are hundreds of active and creative challenges to get your kids active, whether they are new to football or currently play for a club.

The challenges are designed by FA coaches in line with the England FA, aimed to keep your child learning while moving. 

Find out more about Superkicks below

CLICK HERE

The FA is also running challenges on their Twitter page (@FA) at 2pm every weekday – so why not get involved?

FUN FOOTBALL ACTIVITY BOOK FROM MCDONALD’S

This free Fun Football Activity Book from McDonald’s provides a series of great activities; including football-related tasks and creative challenges.

To register your interest in the Fun Football Activity Book, please follow the link below.

FUN FOOTBALL ACTIVITY BOOK

STAY AT HOME CHALLENGES 

Throughout the coronavirus outbreak, people have been coming up with creative challenges to share on social media, including the #StayAtHomeChallenge. 

This particular trial involves an individual attempting to keep up a toilet roll for as long as they can. If you want to give it a go, simply upload your attempt to social media using the hashtag #StayAtHomeChallenge – and make sure you tag in Northamptonshire FA’s profiles! 

Otherwise, something less active but interesting nonetheless would be showing off your football shirt collection. We’d love to see some of the grassroots gems you’ve got hidden in your cupboard.

HOME GYM

If you’ve not got access to any home gym equipment, you can still put in a considerable workout at home. 

For your own stair machine, why not try the real thing? Do a bit of stair-climbing, which would be a fantastic cardiovascular workout. Alternatively, for some makeshift weights, bottles of drink could come in handy. 

Anything that’s at your local gym, you could easily replicate it within your own home. If you’ve been inventive with your own home gym, make sure you show us on social media.

GO FOR A RUN/WALK

Whilst the Government have recommended against all non-essential travel, an hour of exercise a day is still permitted. 

A great way to do that on your own could either be taking the dog out for a walk or run. Again, this would not only keep your physical health in top condition but also give you a great distraction for an hour, ensuring your mental welfare remains as high as possible. 

GARDEN FOOTBALL

With the suspension of football in force across England, there is still a way that you can play the beautiful game - and that’s in your garden. Whether that’s up against a wall or with a family member, there’s always a way you can have a ball at your feet. 

Training drills, passing practice, keepy-ups are all options that you could try in the safety of your own garden. 

We’d love to see the many ways you keep active over the coming weeks and months, so remember to share your activities with Northamptonshire FA on Facebook or @NorthantsFA on Twitter.