Hello,  

As December arrives and with only three weeks to the shortest day of the year, and with the dark mornings taking so long to become light enough to feel safe to walk outside, taking our 30+ minute daily walk has become a bit of a challenge. And that’s before we see what the weather has been doing! In fact, we have to be super-dedicated to put on all our appropriate clothing to face the wind, the cold and the rain!

So, this week Mary and I each are looking at home workouts that will enable you to maintain your fitness and keep you trim and healthy, without even having to step out of your front door – and there’s plenty of choice!

Mary and I have designed a choice of workouts, using stairs, furniture or miscellaneous items available around your home, and they are at varying levels of difficulty so please pick and choose the exercises appropriate to your personal fitness capability.

We have explained which activity exercises which part of the body so please try and approach it with a ‘whole body workout’ mindset so that you strengthen those all-important arms, legs, hips, abs, chest, back and shoulders. Balance is important too. Please wear suitable clothing and only do activities that you feel are safe and appropriate for you. Always listen to your body.
 
Because I am determined to live as long as I possibly can, I work hard at staying fit and well and I am happy to invest time and money to achieve a level of fitness that will help me to be able to move around easily and have fun – right up to my dying day!

When I discovered a gym run by physiotherapists a few years ago, I decided to have a one-to-one session twice a week to encourage me to be fitter and healthier. Up to this point I didn’t like gyms, always feeling intimidated by everyone else who seemed loads fitter, thinner, younger and stronger than ever I could be. Because of my chest issues (asthma and bronchiectasis) it is perfect to be trained by a physiotherapist who pushes me to work harder but within my limits. I love my sessions and they have made me significantly fitter and increased my lung capacity.

Recently, when Judith my trainer was ill and had to cancel my session, I was really disappointed so I decided to create my own workout at home based on the type of exercises I normally do with her. My session with Judith is an hour but it took me just 30 minutes to do the following workout. Maybe this is something you could try if you have the time on one of those days when it’s pouring with rain or too icy to go for your daily walk.

Whilst the equipment is different from the gym, in principle, the exercises are similar. If you are unable to do all the suggested repetitions, just do what you can:

1. Stair Climbing: Walk up and down stairs (14 steps) 5 times consecutively, fairly slowly. (Great for heart and lungs and strength for legs, particularly thigh muscles)
2. Single Step Ups: Step up the bottom stair with alternate feet leading, raising the opposite knee high with each step off the floor. I did 20 (10 each leg) (Great for leg strength and balance)
3. Press-ups: I do floor press-ups and have my bent knees on the floor further back from my hips and do 10. An easier version would be doing standing table-top press-ups with feet well back from the table or worktop and do 10 press-ups, always holding your core tight. A harder version is to do it on the floor with your body straight and no knee bend. Do 10. (All great for upper body strength and abs)
4. Breast Stroke: Lie on the floor, legs outstretched with feet remaining on the floor. Lift your head and shoulders and do the breast-stroke with your arms. Lower again then repeat x 8. (Great for strengthening back and shoulders)
5. The Plank: Still lying face-down on the floor, legs outstretched, raise up onto your elbows and lift your whole body so that it is entirely flat (like a plank), resting feet on your toes, holding your core really tight throughout, but breathing normally. Hold for the count of 30. (If a full plank is too tough, drop your knees to the floor but place them further back than your hips, hold your core tight but breathe normally. Hold for a count of 30). (Great for abs)
6. Posture: I took a plastic pipe and held it in both hands wide above my head and then pulled it down behind my head. Do it 6 times. The wider the hands, the easier it is. You could do this with a toning band if you have one. (Great for posture and shoulders)
7. Dead lifts: Find a weight or something that weighs about four kilos – (a small shopping bag with cans of beans or bags of rice, or a bag of cat litter or dog food will do.) With feet comfortably apart, and the ‘weight’ on the floor between them, bend your knees, hips well back, keeping your head and chest up, and engage your core tightly. Lift and lower the weight, squeezing your butt at the top each time, then slowly lower it again. Repeat x 10. If four kilos is too much, make your ‘weight’ lighter. (Great for arms, legs and butt)
8. Tummy Toner: Sit on the floor, knees bent. With core tight, slowly lower upper body back toward the floor, arms out in front, without going all the way down. With core still tight, lift yourself up to the top position, breathing out as you lift. Inhale as you lower. Repeat x 10 (Great for abs).
9. Waist Twist: Sit on the floor, knees bent, and hold a large bottle of water in both hands. With core tight, try to twist as far as possible to the left and then to the right x 10 times in total (5 each side). (Great for the waist)
   
   If you have time, do the whole workout again. Then, at the end…
    
10. Stretch: Do the Whole Body Stretch Programme at the end of the workout.

And finally...

As you will realise, both Mary and I feel passionate about staying as fit as we can for as long as we can. When we become fitter, we feel better physically and mentally and as you will have noticed, our strapline for our website is ‘LIve Longer Live Healthier Live Happier" and that is exactly what we wish for everyone.

Have a great week.

With love and best wishes,

LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER