Victoria Pratt
Hi everyone, my name is Tom and I work for Nuffield Health Gym as a Personal Trainer.
Whether you’re a gym bunny or looking to keep fit whilst working from home, I’m going to talk briefly about some things we can all do to keep fit and healthy whilst keeping our social distance.
Whilst staying safe in our homes it is important to look after your health to keep the pressure off the NHS. Here are my top tips for staying in shape and keeping fit during this time:
Firstly, there are lots of gyms, fitness bloggers and experts providing different exercises you can complete at home. These often include equipment that many of us don’t have such as dumbbells and kettlebells. Don’t be discouraged by this, do whatever you are capable of and use what you have available to you. I also recommend you go for walks and runs, whilst practicing social distancing to get outside for fresh air and vitamin D – which are also important for our health.
If I could recommend a purchase to anyone it would be either some good quality resistance bands and/or a kettlebell. Both are very versatile and can be used to train most major muscle groups. Both are also fairly inexpensive and take up little room in your house.
I’ve put together a simple list of exercises you can do at home with no equipment, this routine is something that’s not too fast-paced and suitable for most people to help get your body’s moving.
There might be some exercises you’re unfamiliar with, however with a bit of research, you should be able to find all exercises with ease on YouTube for a demonstration.
| Warm up | Complete each movement in sequence, rest for 30 seconds then repeat 2-3 times
Superman’s – 10 reps Plank – 30 seconds Side planks – 15-20 seconds each side Single leg glute bridges – 10 reps each side Rest 30 seconds |
| Main workout | Complete each exercise in the sequence, rest for 60-90 seconds then repeat sequence 4 times.
Where appropriate you can use an additional weight if you have one e.g a dumbbell or kettlebell to make the exercise more challenging. Squats -15 reps Bulgarian split squats – 10 reps each leg Dead bugs – 10 reps Push ups – 10 reps Commando planks – 10 reps |
| Cool down | Finish off with some simple stretches; again if you need some guidance search “world’s greatest stretch” on YouTube – you won’t be disappointed. |
If you’re still struggling to know what to do there are lots of workouts available on YouTube and many fitness experts are delivering free live sessions through social media. Below I have recommended some useful apps and live workouts which I feel will benefit many of you:
Online
- The Body Coach – Joe Wick offering a range of workouts for different capabilities. Joe Wicks is also doing live workouts each weekday at 9am.
- Popsugar Fitness – industry expert instructors deliver dance workouts, zumba and cardio to help you get that summer body.
- If you’re a member of a gym you may have access to online classes, some gyms are also posting free workouts on their social media pages for everyone to access.
Mobile apps
- Couch to 5K – app to help non-runners get started
- Fiit – variety of workouts from cardio to yoga available on your mobile device, you can also mirror this to your TV.
- Nike Training Club – if you like a challenge this app is for you.
My top tips for keeping healthy without exercising:
- Do your best not to get caught looking in the fridge all day – boredom is a huge factor when it comes to overeating so try to plan out meals on a weekly basis with those you’re living with.
- Don’t forget to keep hydrated – drinking lots of water can keep your stomach from being empty and your brain engaged with college work assignments.
- Take regular breaks from whatever you’re doing particularly if you’re working from home. Keeping in a seated position for long periods of time will have poor long term effects on your health. So get up and move around, walk around your home, do some squats or other exercises to keep moving.
- Get those you live with involved – as a coach I know firsthand that many of my clients probably wouldn’t do as much activity as they do with me if I wasn’t there. Having more people involved will keep you motivated.
Exercising doesn’t have to be a chore and doesn’t need to involve a gym; it can be a fun activity to keep you motivated with big health benefits whilst we wait for this part of our lives to pass.
If you’re feeling inspired by keeping fit and making a career out of it, why not check out our sports courses.
