Staying active at home: Kieron's top tips

1. Doing something, no matter how small, is better than doing nothing. 

By committing to do something every day, you’ll build the habit of regular exercise and this can bring you impressive results. Even a five-minute stretch can make a difference. Incorporate exercises into your daily routine by stacking them with existing habits. For example, while waiting for the kettle to boil, do some squats or skipping. 

2. Incorporate resistance into your exercises whenever possible. 

You can use household items like cans of food or invest in light dumbbells. Adding resistance helps build muscle strength and can make your workouts more effective. 

3. Remember, workouts don’t have to be perfect. 

Setting small, realistic expectations can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed. Even a brief, imperfect workout is better than nothing. The goal is consistency, not perfection. So even if you have 10 minutes, get your favourite music on and find something that you enjoy!

Try this 10 to 30 minute home workout example (aim to do this two to three times a week) 

• 30 seconds: Star jumps to get your heart rate up. 

• 30 seconds: Squats to strengthen your legs and core. 

• 30 seconds: Push-ups (modified on knees if needed) to build upper body strength. 

• 30 seconds: Plank to enhance core stability and support better posture. 

• 30 seconds: High knees to boost cardiovascular endurance. 

• 30 seconds: Lunges (30 seconds each leg) to improve leg strength.

• 30 seconds: Tricep dips (use a sturdy chair) to strengthen your arms. 

• 30 seconds: Mountain climbers to work on your core. 

• 30 seconds: Bicycle crunches to target your abs and obliques. 

• 30 seconds: Bicep curls (using any weights you have) to strengthen your arms. 

You can make this easier by taking out some of the exercises or reducing the time of each one. You can make it harder by doing additional rounds of each exercise or adding resistance to some of the exercises.