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Greenwood Getting Active in Greenwood Community Forest Community Forest

Getting Active will…

2 Greenwood is set in 161 square miles of west • lower your blood pressure Nottinghamshire from Mansfield in the north to Nottingham in the south, and from Eastwood in the • control your weight 6 4 3 west to Farnsfield in the east. It joins historic Sherwood • strengthen your heart and lungs Forest in the northeast and curves round to 5 Attenborough in the southwest. • lower your cholesterol level With a working partnership the Community Forest is • help you cope with pain transforming the local landscape to make it a greener and healthier place to be. We are creating green spaces • relax your mind, aid your sleep Greenwood around towns for recreation and sport, providing new • improve your mood and help habitats for wildlife, making outdoor classrooms for 1 environmental education and much more on the you concentrate doorsteps of over a million people living in and • make your bones stronger around the towns of Nottinghamshire. • make your whole body These new green spaces are right in the heart of 7 communities and are used for informal recreation work better such as walking, cycling and enjoying nature. Funding for the Park Life project from Sport England via the Big Lottery Fund has meant that we can offer a programme of activity to suit groups, schools and individuals and encourage people to continue to use the sites for Park Life Activity Sites physical activity. 1 Bestwood Country Park 2 Sherwood Forest Country Park 3 Sherwood Pines Forest Park 4 Vicar Water Country Park Greenwood Community Forest, 1-3 Diamond Avenue, 5 Kings Mill Reservoir Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts, NG17 7GN 6 Bull Farm Park Tel: 01623 758231 7 Bramcote Hills Park Email: [email protected] Web: www.greenwoodforest.org.uk

Bestwood Country Park - How to Find Us Bestwood Country Park Rangers’ Office, Alexandra Lodge, Northern Drive, Park Road, Bestwood Village, Nottingham NG6 8UH

Tel: (Rangers’ Office) 0115 927 3674 [email protected] at Bestwood Country Park The main (free) car parks are on Park Road, Bestwood Village (for Mill Lakes and Country Park) and Bestwood Lodge Drive off Oxclose Lane, Arnold (for orienteering course and Country Park).

Travel Hotline Tel: 0870 6082608

4 Week Log

Start week 1 by recording your normal daily exercise from walking the dogs to digging your garden. The aim of the log is to help you achieve the recommended 30 minutes exercise five times a week. Make sure you read ‘Prepare To Get Active’ before starting and follow the basic instructions for what your 30 minute sessions should include. Prepare to Get Active Below is an example of a typical routine:

Week Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Wear sensible shoes or walking boots. Wear Fill in the diary to show 1 comfortable clothing to suit the weather and an extra top 3 how you’ve improved and set Normal Walk the dog Take the lift Kids visit park at the start, so you can remove clothing as you warm up. yourself new targets as you Routine at work on bikes Never exercise when you are ill or if you have a cold, and work your way to fitness. Goal Minimum Go with kids & stop if you start to feel unwell, dizzy or so breathless you 30mins Take the stairs do a cycle route can’t talk. Exercise Cycling Type WalkingEXAMPLEAerobic exercise

Warm up first with exercises, then start with a gentle If you are cycling for the first 2 pace for 2-5 minutes, gradually increase the pace and the 4 time, make sure your bike is Week Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun length of accelerated exercise, and decrease the amount the right size and roadworthy; of slower paced exercise. After 4 weeks or so, you are call in at your local cycle shop Week 1 aiming for a ten minute increased exercise period within for a bike check. Begin riding Normal each 30 minute workout, 5 times a week. You can somewhere quiet, away from Routine increase this as you get fitter. Slow down to a minimum main roads and wear bright or pace when you’re 5 minutes away from being back to the reflective clothing and a helmet. Goal start, to cool down again, and do some stretching Gradually work up to longer exercises to help prevent injury and strains. and more frequent rides. Exercise Type

Week 2 Exercising in the Park Goal Exercise You don’t need special equipment to get fit in the park. Just use Read ‘Prepare To Get Active’ to find out Type the things you find there to help you create your own fitness trail. when to fit the stretches into your routine Week 3 Benches can be used for many stretching and strengthening exercises. to help benefit your flexibility and to prevent muscle strains. Goal Always check with a doctor before you start an exercise programme. The exercises shown here are examples of how you could use a Abs = Stomach Muscles simple park bench during your 30 minute routine at the park. If you Exercise are not sure how to do the exercises shown, join an exercise class at Type your local Leisure Centre and learn how to do them properly.

Exercise 1: Front Raise, Overhead Press and Bicep Curl Get Active by Orienteering

Orienteering is a sport anyone can do. It’s a mixture The course shown here at Bestwood Park is a fairly of cross-country running (or walking), and finding easy one on roads and woodland paths, some of your way to ‘control’ points by using a map. Each which can be slippery in wet conditions. It has 7 control point is marked with its number and a letter control points and is about 1.2 km (3/4 mile) long. you copy down to prove you’ve been there. If you The start of the course is in the Bestwood Lodge know how to use a compass that will help you find Drive car park, marked on the map by a pink your way more easily. triangle. The numbered control points are marked Courses vary in difficulty and you can try more on the map at the centre of a pink circle, with a difficult ones as you get fitter and improve your number by the side. The end of the course is Front Raise: Sit on bench, abs in Overhead Press: Hold water Bicep Curl: Hold water bottle in and spine straight. Hold water bottle in right hand, elbow bent, right hand and, with abs in and map-reading. marked by two pink concentric circles. bottle in right hand and raise arm and extend arm overhead. Repeat spine straight, curl bottle towards Copy down the letters you find at the control points in the boxes below up to shoulder level. Hold 2 other side. shoulder. Repeat other side. seconds and repeat other side.

Exercise 2: Leg Extension, Hip Flexion and Inner Thigh

Leg Extension: Sit on bench, abs Hip Flexion: Sitting on bench, Inner Thigh: Place full water in. Extend left leg until level with lift left foot off the floor a few bottle between knees and, hip. Hold for 2 seconds, repeat inches, knee bent. Hold for 2 keeping abs in, squeeze bottle other side. seconds and repeat other side. gently. Repeat.

Exercise 3: Bench Squat and Tricep Dips Exercise 4: Standing Leg Exercises

Bench Squat: Dips: Make sure bench Standing Hip Flexion: Leg Lift: In same starting Periodically while sitting, is stable and place hands Stand with abs in, position as left, lift left lift your bottom off the next to hips. Move hips spine straight. Lift leg leg straight out to the seat and hover over in front of bench and up until level with hip. side a few inches off bend elbows, lowering Why not try another orienteering course if you enjoyed If you’d like to find out more about orienteering, bench for 2-3 seconds. Hold for 2 seconds, the floor. Hold for 2 body until elbows are at seconds, repeat on the this one? Sherwood Forest, Sherwood Pines, and visit the Nottinghamshire Orienteering Club website Stand up and repeat. repeat other side. 90 degrees. Repeat. other side. Vicar Water Country Park all have permanent courses. at www.noc-uk.org.uk

Exercise 5: Stretches for Your Wrists and Arms Exercise 6: Abs (stomach muscles) Don’t like exercising alone?

It’s often more fun to walk in a group and it can help you keep going! There are ‘Walking the Way to Health’ groups that walk regularly at Bestwood Country Park and other local areas. Their routes are led by trained volunteers, are suitable for all ages and abilities and they welcome new walkers. Join the Rangers! Activities will include Bestwood Country Park health walks, volunteer tasks and guided walks. For more information on the events programme or to request a brochure, please email Marilyn Louden at [email protected], or call her on 0845 330 4214. Wrist Stretch: Extend Wrist & Forearm: Press Abs: Sit on the edge of Curls: Cross arms arm in front, palm up hands together in front bench, arms extending over chest and sit up Why not try cycling the Nottinghamshire County Council Rural Rides Scheme? It offers something for and grab fingers with of chest, elbows bent in front. Keeping back straight. Contract abs everyone, even if you haven’t cycled for years and want to simply get out and get active, rural rides can other hand. Gently pull and parallel to the floor. straight, contract the abs and curl shoulder accommodate you. Meet new people or you can participate with friends and family. hand down to stretch Gently bend wrists to and slowly lower torso towards hips, pulling the forearm. Repeat the right and left. towards back of bench. Hold abs in. Hold for 2 For more information on your local walking groups or rural rides contact the Greenwood for 2-3 seconds and repeat. other side. seconds and repeat. Community Forest Team details on back page.