Five home workouts
Exercise is a great way to keep physically healthy and reduce your risk of heart disease. It’s also important for your mental health, especially when stuck inside.
The Heart Foundation recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous exercise every week. It may sound like a lot but that’s just 30 minutes, five times per week.
Working out at home doesn’t have to mean doing endless crunches or spending hours on a spin bike. We’ve made a list of five ways to exercise at home for free, and included some resources to get you started.
1. High intensity - The Body Coach
Joe Wicks, ‘The Body Coach’, has hundreds of free HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts on his YouTube channel which can be done from your home or backyard.
From ‘Lean in 15’ 15 minute workouts to 28 day challenges, he has something for everyone. If you’re a little more advanced or have a set of kettlebells handy, his exercises can be adapted.
2. Pilates - Blogilates
Cassey Ho is a pilates instructor with over 4.9 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, 'Blogilates'. Her workouts require no equipment and can be easily done from your bedroom or living room floor.
Beginners may choose from videos including her '5 minute' series, while advanced exercisers might opt for a PIIT style workout.
PIIT (Pilates Intense Interval Training) combines intense cardio moves with pilates core strengthening in a 28 minute session - perfect for helping you reach that 150 minute weekly target.
3. Yoga - Yoga with Adriene
If you're looking for some help to unwind after a hard day of Netflix, or sitting hunched over your computer, Adriene should be your go-to.
On her YouTube channel, she has yoga flow sequences to improve overall flexibility and targeting specific muscle groups. As well as being great for physical health, these flows can be helpful for releasing stress and anxiety.
4. Low impact training - MadFit
On her YouTube channel, Maddie Lymburner (MadFit) does a variety of real-time functional workouts and yoga stretching routines which range from 10 to 30 minutes.
Many of her workouts are low-impact and don't involve jumping. This makes them perfect if you live in an apartment with downstairs neighbours, or you're working out at night and want to keep quiet.
5. Local gyms
While gyms are closed to the public, many local gyms: including Zap Fitness, All Aerobics Fitness and Unigym Hobart have been posting free workouts on their social media. These will help you pass the long hours of physical distancing.