5K² Charity Partnership
With 50 days to go until 5K² on December 1st, I can now announce the charity that I will be fundraising for.
First though, and as a quick reminder, 5K² will be the 5,000th consecutive day of my unbroken exercise streak of making an at least 5 kilometre (or 5,000 metres) active journey. That is walking, running, cycling, canoeing, kayaking or skiing at least 5 kilometres every single day since 25th March 2013.
To mark the occasion, I’m hoping to motivate at least 5,000 people to make their own active journey on December 1st and to consider chipping in at least a pound and hopefully raising at least £5,000 for a good cause.
Announcement Time. The charity I have chosen to support is Mind Over Mountains.
Mind Over Mountains is very much the charity that is on the same page as me. They believe passionately in the power of nature to protect and strengthen our mental health. That core message is one that I’m fully aligned with.
For those who aren’t familiar with their work, Mind Over Mountains is an award-winning charity delivering life-changing outdoor experiences that combine guided walking, mindfulness and professional mental health support.
Their impact speaks for itself: 91% of participants report improved mental wellbeing, 88% feel more confident managing their mental health and 83% feel less isolated. Their programmes reduce anxiety and depression, and help people feel stronger, more resilient and better equipped to face life’s challenges.
If my getting outside every day to take some exercise can somehow lead to other people (often those at a crisis moment in their lives) getting out into the hills and mountains to take part in the wellbeing walks that Mind Over Mountains provide, then I will be immensely pleased to have done something to support this incredible charity and the many individuals they work with and support.
So, I would like you to do six things, please.
1. Enter 5K² in your diary for December 1st.
2. Tell your friends, work colleagues and former work colleagues about 5K².
3. Get outdoors on December 1st to make your own active journey. Don’t worry if you can’t manage 5 kilometres. This is about taking exercise at your own level, rather than trying to keep up with what other people are doing.
4. If you can, chip in at least a pound on my GiveMatch page.
5. Let Mind Over Mountains and me know what you did on December 1st. Engage on social media, comment on the GiveMatch page and share photos.
6. Use the hashtags: #5ksquared #MindOverMountains #FindTimeForExercise
And point number 7, have some fun and enjoy taking your exercise. I always make sure that I enjoy my active journeys, whether they take place somewhere spectacular or on the regular walking routes close to home.
Finally, and to repeat something I said in a previous article, it is timely that 5K² is taking place on the first day of meteorological winter and on a midweek day. One of the keys to taking regular exercise, year-round, is to get out on the colder, darker, often wetter days, like a Tuesday in early December. This can be the ideal day to start your own winter challenge, at your own level, and create a habit, a new routine, before you get to the new year’s resolution time. That’s just an extra thought.
In the meantime, I look forward to your participation in 5K² and thank you in anticipation of your support for Mind Over Mountains.
Mind Over Mountains social media handles:
· Instagram - @mindomountains
· Facebook – @mindovermountainscic
· TikTok - @mind_over-mountains
· LinkedIn - @Mind Over Mountains
My social media handles:
· Instagram - @findtimeforexercise
· Facebook - @ findtimeforexercise
· TikTok - @findtime4xrcise
· Twitter - @FindTime4Xrcise
· LinkedIn - @mikedales