With the continued restrictions on gyms and leisure centres meaning we can’t welcome you through our doors for a while longer we put together this guide and tips on how to exercise indoors!
All you need is 30 minutes!
If you spare just 30 minutes each day to fit in some exercise it has been proven to boost your mood, give you a real sense of achievement, reduce stress and have multiple benefits on your heart's health. And guess what, you can do it in the comfort of your own home, maybe even in front of the TV!
So that 30 minutes you might have spent browsing social media, watching TV or playing on your gaming device; use that time to try these exercises out instead.
Tips for exercising at home:
- Set an alarm each day to build up a routine and don’t snooze it!
- Exercise does not always have to include running or lifting weight you can also include variety in your exercise, being repetitive can be a bit boring as well as straining on your muscle try to include some variety in your workouts such as tennis, yoga, cycling or anything you fancy.
- Find an exercise partner so that you can motivate each other
- Choose activities you enjoy, doing something that you enjoy means you’re far more likely to keep doing it.
- Set goals and make a plan, a plan and goal covering ho, when and where you’ll get active can really help to motivate yourself.
- Start slowly and build up your activity levels gradually, when moving more you may feel warmer, slightly breathless at time and muscle and joints can become sore, remember to listen to your body and don’t push yourself too far.
- Stay Hydrated, drink plenty of water before, during and after activities to help your body to stay healthy.
- Get Outdoors, whether it's your surrounding area, a park or your garden getting outdoors can boost your mood and reduce anxiety.
- Wear something comfortable, you don't need special kit or equipment but you do need to be comfortable.
Also, REMEMBER to include all 5 elements of fitness into your at-home workouts to ensure an effective fitness program, you do not need to include all 3 in each workout but at least 2-3 times per week each.
- A cardiovascular (aerobic) workout.
- Resistance (strength-building) exercises.
- Flexibility moves.
Also, remember to include a warm-up and cool down each time to ensure you reduce your risk of injury and that your muscles are ready for exercise.
A warm-up could be an easy walk outside or run, or a slow pace on a bike. For the cardiovascular portion, walk, run, faster/ hard cycle, aerobic exercises (burpees, squat jumps, high knees), skipping or whatever you enjoy that increases your heart rate!
The resistance portion can be as simple as squats, push-ups and abdominal crunches. Or you could work with small dumbbells, a weight bar, bands or tubing.
The flexibility portion can be stretching or even taking part in classes such as yoga or pilates to increase your flexibility.
Exercises
Over the last nine weeks, we have provided some exercises which can be completed at home with no or little weight to improve Upper and Lower Body, Core Strength and Stretches to improve your overall flexibility.
Here they are for you to have a look at:
Also, head over to our Facebook and Instagram for more videos and tutorials.
