Simple ways to get fit at home

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90-degree bend, apps, back, breath, breathe in, cardio, chest, chin, co-ordination, core strength, crunches, elbows, fit, fitness levels, flexibility, focus, get fit, grow, gym, heart rate, hip width, hurt, inner thigh, jog, lengthening your spine, local sports centre, lungs, mental calmness, nknees, online videos, outside, over worked, palms, park run, posture, Relax, relaxes, reps, safely, shoulders, skipping, skipping rope, small changes, Sofa leg raises and crunches, speed, Stair runs, stamina, star jumps, step classes, stressed out, stretch out, sweating, tree pose, triceps, walking, weights, woods, Workout with bottle weights, world of yoga, yoga

When it comes to getting fit, many of us shy away from making a start as it feels like a massive mountain to climb, and the thought of sweating it out in a room full of regular gym goers just doesn’t appeal.

So, we don’t get started and nothing changes.

Let’s stop right here for a moment.

What if we said that you can start to shift your fitness levels for the better in the comfort of your own home in just 20 minutes a day?

Yes, you heard us right.

You don’t need anything fancy, it’s all in your house already, and in no time at all we think you might start to like it.

Skipping
Let’s go back to basics and grab a skipping rope to get fit. It’s super simple and you probably remember it from your school days, but you’re jumping the rope, not stepping over it, and the idea is to increase your speed over time and being out of breath will show you are working well! Clear out some space, go outside if you need more room, and we would say skip for one minute, then do star jumps for a minute and keep going for as long as you can.

The reason this is good for you is because it gets your heart-rate up and gives you some cardio action, but it’s not too intense. Oh, and using the rope can help improve your co-ordination which is never a bad thing!!!

Sofa leg raises and crunches
To do this, simply sit on the edge of your sofa and put your hands either side of you. Straighten your legs out in front of you, raise them to 45-degrees, and then go back down, stopping just above the floor. Do twenty reps of these and avoid dropping your legs back to touch the floor in between. In addition to this as you sit on the sofa, do 20 crunches by bringing your knees up to your chin and then straightening your legs directly out in front of you.

This might hurt to start with, but both exercises work your abdominal muscles and improve your core strength, and you don’t even have to get up off the sofa – so try this double win!

Stair runs
Forget the step classes at the local sports centre, you can use your stairs to get fit. Start with walking up and down them ten times, then do it two at a time – you will feel a difference. As you become fitter, up the speed and you will see your fitness and stamina improve. You might find that in time, you start to walk to the shops rather than drive the car, try a jog in the woods or even have a go at a park run, you never know what small changes can bring to your life.

Workout with bottle weights
Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted hip width apart on the floor. Hold a bottle in each hand with your arms outstretched above you, then bring your elbows towards the floor with a 90-degree bend in your arms, hold for one, and keeping your elbows where they are, unbend your arms to bring your forearms towards the floor. Try not to let your arms touch the floor as you do this, and while you can start with ten reps, build it up to 30 on each side over time. If you do this you will strengthen your triceps, shoulders as well as your chest. If you enjoy this, you can buy some real weights, but start here just to check out how it makes you feel.

Yoga
This beauty won’t see you out of breath, but it will help you to improve your focus, core strength, flexibility and mental calmness and it can help you to relax and stretch out – what’s not to like?

If you don’t feel like braving a class, there are a lot of online videos and apps out there which safely introduce you to the wonderful world of yoga where there is something for everyone.

We love the easy to do tree pose. To do this, bring one foot up to rest on the inner thigh of the opposite leg above the knee. Once you are feeling balanced, put your palms together and raise your arms above your head until they are nearly, but not quite, straight. Then, breathe in and out slowly as you maintain your balance and and feel your strength grow. We like this because it’s brilliant for posture and lengthening your spine, but it also opens your lungs and relaxes your mind which makes it great if you are feeling stressed out and over worked.

Got an indoor fitness tip you think we would like? Send it over, we would love to know more.

Team Pure Beauty

Easy ways to add a little exercise into your life

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abs, ankle, arms, ballet, body, breathing, bright, build, cardio exercise, cardiovascular health, cool down, coordination, crunches, decent trainers, exercising, focus, foot, friends, gentle jogging, good shape, group hug, gym, happy, heart healthy, heart rate, Heel raises, injuries, intense cardio training, itness levels, jog, joints, lesson, low impact, low risk, meditative elements, mental wellbeing, muscle flexibility, muscles, neck, OTT, Pilates, pressure, right track, rope, salsa, schedule, serious, social element, Speed walking, sport, still mind, still your mind, strengthen, stretch out, summer, supple, sweat, swim, tai chi, time, together, warm up, water, work out, yoga, Zumba

We know that exercising can impact all areas in your life, for the better, but we also know that getting time to actually do it can be hard. We’ve had a look at how you can fit just a little bit of workout time into your schedule so you feel bright and happy all day long.

Jog on
If you’re not keen on intense cardio training but would like to break out in a slight sweat, then how about some gentle jogging? This exercise helps to strengthen your entire body and keep you in good shape, without putting huge pressure on your joints. We do suggest that you invest in some decent trainers, take water with you, and always warm-up and cool down to prevent injuries.

Speed walking
Taking it down another notch from jogging, we have speed walking. You might not know this but a brisk walk can help build your cardiovascular health and can also boost your mental wellbeing. This really is a low commitment exercise that anyone can fit into their day, and if you have a dog, even better as they need their walk and you can get fit together!

Yoga
As well as keeping your heart healthy, it is also important to ensure you have muscle flexibility and a still mind, and yoga can do this for you. Yoga, as well as tai chi and Pilates, engage your muscles so they stay healthy and you also have the meditative elements that still your mind, allow you to focus on your breathing and bring down your anxiety.

Crunch it out
If you want to work on your abs without going OTT in the gym, simple crunches are the way to go. Crossing your arms across your chest while doing these exercises can help you to avoid pulling on your neck and causing injury. If you aren’t quite sure how to get this right, ask a PT and they will be only too happy to assist so you know you are on the right track.

Shake it out
Dancing is an amazing way to keep fit, stay healthy and make friends. Zumba, ballet, salsa, and tap are just some of the options out there and not only will taking part make you feel good but because of the social element, you will feel like you’ve had a group hug at the end of the session.

Go for a swim
We often think about swimming in the summer but this is a great cardio exercise that will benefit your health and mental well-being all year round. As swimming isn’t dangerous for joints and muscles, it’s something many of us can enjoy, and if you are serious about your strokes, book in a lesson or two and really make this sport work for you.

Raise your heals
Heel raises, which involve deliberately lifting and lowering your heels off the floor, can help to address weakness, balance, range of motion, and coordination of the foot and ankle. This might seem like a really simple move, but it goes a long way to stretch out those muscles and keep you supple.

Skip away
A rope and a little space can really get your heart rate up and those feel-good endorphins pumping! You don’t have to do it for ages, and while you’ll be surprised at how hard it is when you start, build it up over time and your fitness levels will boom.

Team Pure Beauty