A new study by the British Lung Foundation has found that a staggering one in four of us Brits never exercise. Many of these people admitted that the reason for their lack of activity was due to a lack of facilities near them – but this doesn’t have to be the case because you can work out at home! “The NHS recommends you aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, which works out at around 20 minutes every day,” says Angela Ioannou, personal trainer at Everyone Active (everyoneactive.com). “Many of us aren’t active enough during the day, especially if we’re sat at a desk for most of it. This means that it’s really important to get up and move as much as we can, but it can be difficult to fit into our busy schedules.” We asked Angela for her top exercises that you can do from the comfort of your lounge – no equipment necessary!
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Work surface press ups This is a great move that you can do on any surface that is waist height or higher, such as your kitchen counter. Stand about a metre away from the surface, with your hands shoulder-width apart, and do as many press ups as you can in 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds and then repeat three or four times. This move will work your arm, shoulder and chest muscles. -
Squats Place your hands shoulder-width apart and extend out in front of you, then squat down until your bottom is parallel with your knees. Come back up and then do as many squats as you can in 30 seconds. Take 30 seconds of rest and repeat three or four times. Although squats are a whole-body movement, they will target your legs, bottom, back and abs the most. Make sure you don’t round your back – using your hands to support you should help keep your chest and back up as you go down. This will really get your heart racing! -
Lunges Start standing side on and place one leg about a metre out in front of you. Using a counter for support if needed, lunge forward until your back knee is almost touching the floor, then come back up, bringing your front leg back to the starting position. Repeat on the same leg for 15 seconds, then turn around and, using your other arm for support if needed, do the same with the other leg. Repeat three times. This is excellent for your leg, bottom and ab muscles. To make it a bit harder (and improve your balance), try to do it without holding the counter for support. -
Star jumps You may have done these back at school, but they make a great workout! Star jumps really get your heart racing and work your calves, legs, bottom, abs and shoulders. Complete 30 seconds of this move three times to really get sweating. -
Mountain climbers Admittedly, these are tough but they’re very good for you, working your abs, arms, legs and bottom. Start in a press-up position on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart. The aim of this move is to bring one of your knees up through to the empty space between your elbows, then straighten that leg back out again (without your foot touching the ground). Repeat on the other leg. These are supposed to be performed as fast as you can – 30 seconds on; 30 seconds off. Repeat three times, clocking as many repetitions as you can in 30 seconds.
Guidelines
All of these exercises will take you around 15 minutes, including rest time. To make it harder, you can go from one exercise to the next with as little rest as possible, then rest for 30-60 seconds between each round. To make it easier, simply rest for a longer amount of time. These exercises will really help to tone up your body and make sure you’re hitting the recommended exercise target. Remember to do five minutes of light cardio, such as jogging on the spot, to warm up before the workout and to cool down afterwards.
