Be Active
Staying active is an important part of helping support our mental and physical health. Regular physical activity can help reduce feelings of anxiety and depression whatever your age. It’s also a great way to strengthen your muscles and maintain lung and heart health.
It doesn’t have to be intense exercise for you to get the benefits and feel good. Light, slow paced activities will help you feel relaxed, refreshed and improve your overall wellbeing.
Here are some tips on getting active at home, which can be adapted for all ages and abilities.
Please note: you should always contact your GP before starting a new exercise regime.
1. Get social
Social Media sites like YouTube and Instagram have a wealth of free at home workouts that you can try in the comfort of your own home. From Joe Wicks PE every Friday to Arnold Schwarzenegger sharing his workout routine, you can get active with just about anyone! Search “Home Workouts” and browse a range of different options. If you are looking for lighter exercises try searching for “Chair based exercises”. The NHS has a handy online guide for exercising with a disability: Get Active with a Disability.
2. Spring Clean
If you fancy sprucing up your house while getting fitter, you can include movement while you do your daily chores as part of your exercise routine. Did you know cleaning windows can burn 150 calories in 30 minutes? And if you’ve got an outside space, just 30 minutes of gardening can burn a whopping 200 calories as well as providing you with fresh air and sunshine. Make it fun by listening to your favourite music at the same time!
3. Stretch it out
Try to do a mix of exercises, and don’t forget to include stretching as part of this. Regular stretching of all the major muscle groups can help increase flexibility, improve muscle strength, helps to maintain a good posture and can help combat stress. This NHS have produced a 5 minute wake up workout, which includes stretches for the whole body and can all be done lying in bed!
4. Stick with it
If you find it hard to incorporate exercise into your day, it can be helpful to create a weekly timetable. Giving yourself set times for exercise can help squeeze in a bit of me time into hectic days. You may also find it useful to have an exercise buddy – doing exercise videos at the same time with friends and family is a great way to stay connected if you can’t catch up face to face.
