West Berkshire residents given some keep fit tips during coronavirus isolation

Some simple exercises to carry out at home for your physical and mental wellbeing

WHETHER you are working from home or just social distancing, it is important to get some exercise, not just for your physical health and keeping your immune system strong, but also for your mental wellbeing.

Newbury fitness instructor Vicki Brown, from LiveFitNow, suggests a few easy exercises you can carry out in your garden or home.

Home Workout Exercises

Squats: Variations: chair, bodyweight or weighted.

Stand with feet slightly wider than your hips, toes out. Spine in neutral throughout. Breathe in, break at your hip and sit back. Keep chest and shoulders up and look forward. Squat down until your hip joint is lower than your knees, parallel. Breathe out, drive through your heels, keep knees out and return to starting position.

Press Ups: Variations: against the wall, kneeling, full.

Start in the hands plank position. Keep your spine in neutral and core engaged. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, push yourself back up to the starting position. Drop to your knees to make the movement easier, or against a wall.

Tricep Dips: Use bench, chair, sofa, step.

Position your hands shoulder-width apart on a bench or stable chair. Slide your behind off the front of the bench with your legs extended out in front of you. Straighten your arms, keeping a little bend in your elbows to keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints. Slowly bend your elbows, until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up to the starting position using your triceps.

Step Up: Use the bottom step of your stairs, in the garden, or an exercise step.

A simple move, step up, step back and repeat. (You can even do this without a step by simply stepping back and forth). Should you need to hold on to something while you do this for balance that is fine, you will still benefit from this exercise.

Plank: Wall, Kneeling, Full

This is a great full body, core focused exercise.

Place elbows or hands, depending on level, directly under shoulders (slightly wider than shoulder width). Ground toes into the floor and squeeze glutes to stabilise your body and engage your core.

Look at a spot on the floor about a foot beyond your hands to maintain a neutral spine.

Hold for as long as you can, maintaining good form.

Other great ways to get moving:

• Turn up the music and dance
• Head out into the garden, gardening can be a great workout
• Spring clean, having a sort out is another great way to stay active

There has never been a better reason to take a few minutes each day to make ourselves as fit and strong as we can.

Moving the body is so important for our wellbeing, so let’s make moving a little everyday a priority, even when we are stuck at home.

LiveFitNow will be running online classes via their Facebook classes group and if you need some guidance Skype sessions are available too.

Let’s stay fit, strong and healthy together.