Work out how to maintain a front-room fitness routine

Whilst it’s important to get a daily dose of fresh air, there are plenty of opportunities to be creative when exercising at home to keep the joints moving and the blood pumping.

With an increase in people spending more time at home, we’ve worked with Active Nation to compile our top tips for residents to have a fitness field day in their own house.

Stuart Martin, Managing Director at Active Nation, said: “Social distancing and isolation doesn’t have to impact your physical activity rate. Maintaining a routine of 30 minutes exercise five times per week will have a big boost to your mental health, immune system and overall wellbeing.”

You might have unopened fitness DVD from an old New Year’s resolution, but alongside the traditional techniques there are a range of exercises that can help you move with the times.

Be inclined to use your stairs

Step one would be to make the most of your stairs to keep active. You could start with stepping on and off the bottom step 20 times in the event of getting up for a drink or a toilet break.

Also select multiple points within the hour at which you’d get up and take an item upstairs, whether it’s a book, a bottle or simply a pen, and at the end of the day you’ll have a pile telling you how many trips upstairs you’ve made. The following day can then be set for bringing your chosen items back downstairs.

Barratt London builds a range of three storey properties, which ensure you can take your exercise to the next level.

Arrange ‘walk dates’ on your virtual treadmill

Social exercising is just as practical in your own home, as you and a fitness friend can FaceTime one another whilst walking on the spot in the living room. You can increase your daily steps whilst having a much-needed catch up with a friend, or even a grandparent who you can’t often visit.

Why not go the extra step and hook a virtual treadmill up to your TV, on which you can set up a video that allows you to explore a new destination without leaving your front room.

Meet the neighbours via ‘doorstep aerobics’

Pre-arrange a day and time at which you, alongside your neighbours, can take a step outside and complete an aerobics session on your doorsteps.

All you’d need is a bluetooth speaker and your best gym gear, and the responsibility of being both the session’s leader and DJ can alternate to ensure you’re all achieving your fitness goals together from a distance.

Become balanced with squats

Squats are useful for, not only strengthening your core, but also reducing the risk of injury by improving your full-body mobility, balance and posture. When conducting this exercise, you could make use of a unique technique.

Complete your squats adjacent to a door frame and at the highest and lowest points of the exercise, alter the location of a piece of blu-tack on the frame.

Whilst devoting attention to your form you can focus on this secondary challenge and, before you know it, you’ll have done more squats than you initially realised.

Utilise your household items

You’ll no doubt find a range of items at home that can help with your exercises, making it that little bit easier to keep fit. For those who haven’t got a yoga mat, you can use bath towels for a softer surface which make sit-ups, press-ups and planking more comfortable.

Without dumbbells, you can use the cans of baked beans you were saving for a special occasion for adding weights to your workout, or simply opt for a sturdy chair for those tricep dips.

If you’re struggling to sign your children up to join you in your exercises, they can hold your feet in place to aid you in your sit-ups.

Free Online Resources

On the Active Nation App and website, there is free access to over 800 on demand virtual workouts for all ages and abilities, which can be viewed on the app or streamed to your TV and laptop. The website also has over 500 articles, blogs and recipes to support your wellbeing. Search “Active Nation” on the app store or visit www.activenation.org.uk

For further information about Barratt London, visit the website at www.barratthomes.co.uk/new-homes/london/.