Exercise & Movement

Regular movement is essential for keeping both body and mind healthy. It doesn’t always mean putting on sports kit or heading to the gym, many exercises can be done in your usual clothes. Short bursts of activity, sometimes called exercise snacks, are especially helpful if you don’t have time for a full workout.

The benefits of movement are greatest while you’re doing it, so keep it part of your daily routine because once you stop, the benefits stop too. It is simple, just do something and enjoy it!

I do karate and cycling because I genuinely enjoy them and I also go hill walking whenever I can. Enjoyment matters, if you like what you’re doing, you’ll stick with it. I also use a fitness trampoline for rebounding. It’s a fun, low-impact way to get your heart rate up and there are plenty of great videos on YouTube to bounce along to.

A well-rounded approach to fitness includes:

Cardio – brisk walking, cycling, rebounding on a trampoline.
Strength training – getting a set of dumbbells and doing some basic lifts or bodyweight exercises.
Flexibility work – a little yoga or stretching to keep joints and muscles supple.

Exercise snacks can be as simple as:

Doing squats while the kettle boils.
A few minutes of rebounding in the living room.
Climbing the stairs twice instead of once.
a 2–3 minute plank or wall sit.
A quick walk around the block between tasks.