During lockdown, we’re all looking for good ways to keep active whilst sticking by government guidelines. Fortunately, no matter what level of fitness you are, there are loads of ways to keep fit without spending money on lots of equipment. Obviously if you are concerned about your safety to exercise, get in touch with a healthcare professional.

Cardiovascular Exercise

This form of exercise is designed to get you breathing more heavily. It’s important for keeping your heart and lungs healthy, will help you manage your weight and will probably help to clear your mind from some of those lockdown anxieties!

Here are a few options that you can try:

This video from the NHS gives a great idea for a 10 minute workout

The Couch to 5k plan gives a good introduction to running; the plan means that you’ll be running for 30 minutes in 9 weeks

Or if you don’t fancy these, why not put on some music and try dancing? You can dance in your own way, or have a go at this dance workout

Strength Exercises

These exercises are designed to build the strength in your muscles and bones. They won’t leave you as breathless as the cardiovascular exercises but are a really important part of building your fitness.

Here’s a couple of ideas…

Team GB athletes talk you through some easy to follow exercises

A great video from the NHS with strength exercises for different body parts

Flexibility and Balance

If you’re working from home where you didn’t previously, or simply not moving around as much as you did before, you may have lost some of your flexibility which could leave you with some joint pain.

Particularly if you older or have problems with your balance, it is important to try some exercises to challenge your balance (whilst making sure you don’t fall!) If you’re worried about falling, we have lots of information in our previous blog posts.

There are lots of videos of Yoga and stretching workouts available online

This video from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists gives some good exercises for improving your balance and reducing your risk of falls

We hope that you’ve found this advice helpful. The key things to remember are….

• Try to move regularly through the day
• Don’t compare yourself to others; as long as you feel you’ve challenged yourself that’s all that matters
• You’re more likely to stick with exercise if it’s fun, so find something you enjoy or can join with others in your household or over video link

All information contained in this post is general; we encourage you to seek individualised assessment and treatment from a relevant healthcare professional. We endeavour to regularly review our posts to make sure all information is in accordance with recent guidance and research.