First I heard about my sister-in-law playing netball in the snow. Then my nephew did an eight-hour intensive ballroom dance class. My children have been kayaking, playing chess and doing yoga, and my husband has been swimming in the sea.

In January, we decided to set up a challenge in our family for the first 100 days of the new year. The focus would be on movement and getting outside, but everyone was able to choose their own goals without it being pressured – as I wrote about in a previous blog post. It seemed like a fun way to give everyone a bit of a lift through the winter months, and a way of us keeping connected.

The 100 days are now up, and I can’t say we’ve all rigidly stuck to our goals… but that wasn’t really the point anyway. Instead, every day I received messages and pictures of the things my family members were getting up to – which turned out to be a lot more bizarre than I had anticipated.

“Does a mini golf pub crawl count as exercise?” we were asked. “Is knitting in the garden still your daily dose of fresh air?” Outdoor fitness classes, umpiring sports matches, coaching teenagers, and playing board games were all counted as eligible activities. If it was a new activity you might not have otherwise tried, then all the better.

The challenge inspired several of us to get outside and spend a more time being active. But more than that, it was a wonderful reason for us all to be in touch a bit more often, including partners and spouses who might otherwise still be a bit shy. It helped to brighten up the first few months of the year, and give us all a bit of a distraction until Spring.