Every other day, I have a ritual that leaves me breathless but triumphant. It takes 38 seconds, costs nothing and needs no equipment. It might make me look slightly unhinged, but it’s benefitting my health – and could help yours, too.
What is it? I jump. Or squat jump, to be precise. Starting with my feet flat on the floor, shoulder width apart, I squat, my elbows bent and hands in front of my chest, before jumping as high as I can, pushing my arms down to help make the movement as explosive as possible.
I land back in a squat with a thud. Then I go again, and again, until I’ve jumped 32 times (four sets of eight) and am gasping for air. Not (just) because I am mad or for the cardiovascular exercise, but because I am strengthening my bones, reducing my risk of fractures and breaks in later life.
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Summer is approaching, and so are the insects
Are we getting more flies in the UK?
With warmer, wetter winters and longer summers, flies are likely to breed quicker and survive for longer. We’re likely to see more in the future.
James Logan, professor of medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says we could see more bugs as warmer temperatures create an ideal environment for breeding.
How to deter flies
Clear out leftovers
Flies love leftover food, especially if it’s sugary or decaying. Food should be covered or in airtight containers, and leftovers cleared away immediately after eating.
A man pours a glass of water from a chrome tap at a kitchen sink – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Clean your sink
Particles of food found in the sink or drains after washing up will attract flies so keep them clean and clear. Keeping windows closed will also help.
At-home remedies to try
Try vinegar
Mixing apple cider vinegar with a spoonful of sugar and washing up liquid attracts flies – they then drown in the liquid.
Lemon with cloves
Cut a lemon in half and stick in some cloves. It’ll create a strong combination of smells that repel flies.
If you’re looking for a way to boost your health and wellbeing, you likely already have a goldmine in your store cupboard (Photo: Yulia-Images/Getty)
Herbs
Placing mint, rosemary and basil around windows and kitchens can keep flies at bay.
Techniques to use
Keep windows closed
Have windows ajar not wide open and use fans as the airflow makes it hard for flies to land.
Take time to rest (Photo: Counter/Getty/Digital Vision/Nicolas Hudak)
One example of this is the Intelligent Street Lighting project being trialled by Glasgow City Council. It uses an algorithm to process real time sensor data on noise, air pollution and footfall around the city and control street lighting in reaction to people’s use of cycle paths and open spaces.
(Richard Baker via Getty Images)
Use warm lights, if any
While flies are attracted to blue light, they are repelled by warm tones so try to get yellow or orange-toned lights.
Check your drains
Remove any organic matter that could be a food source, and clean them using boiling
water and vinegar.
Water companies are allowed to spill sewage so long as their plants are overwhelmed (Photo: Finnbarr Webster/Getty)
Look at your bins
Leftover and decaying food is a playground for flies
Caption: A resident walks past uncollected bin bags piled up on Poplar Road in Birmingham, central England, on April 15, 2025. Residents are desperately trying to get rid of an estimated 17,000 tonnes of trash that has piled up since refuse workers ramped up a strike last month. Four weeks in, the city council has declared a “major incident,” the prime minister has had to defend the government’s response in parliament, and residents say their problems are worsening by the day. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: PAUL ELLIS
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Keep your compost bin as far from the
house as possible, use a wheelie bin liner and keep the lids sealed, says pest control expert Jonathon Nicholls.
LIFESTYLE
2 min read
Menopause causes Alzheimer’s-like changes to the brain
Some symptoms overlap
between the perimenopause
and dementia which can be worrying for women but
experts say lifestyle changes can help.
The new research
Could this explain why
more women develop dementia than men?
Two thirds
According to the Alzheimer’s Society, women account for around two thirds of people living with Alzheimer’s disease (the most common form of dementia) in the UK.
Menopause
Some of the symptoms of menopause which are similar to dementia include memory issues, trouble with word retrieval, irritability, anxiety and frustration.
The differences
Someone with menopause brain fog may have difficulties with memory or clear thinking, but in dementia, these issues increase over time.
The person’s abilities will decline progressively and they will need more support with everyday tasks.
Memory problems with
menopause, however, can
improve with treatment, lifestyle changes or time.
Life lessons
5 min read
What to do if you have menopause-related brain fog
Managing menopause is a bit like putting together pieces of a jigsaw.
British Menopause Society (BMS) trustee Dr Paula Briggs says HRT can help but it’s not the only solution.
“It’s important to ensure that you’re eating well and exercising regularly throughout menopause, when your body is under some strain due to fluctuations in hormones”.
The lifestyle changes to make
Caption: Healthy senior woman doing swim noodle exercises in aerobics pool class. Active senior people doing workout in swimming pool holding swim noodles.
Photographer: Luis Alvarez
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Exercising
This supports mental health and sleep but it can be as simple as walking for 30 minutes.
Learn new things
Keeping your brain active can improve your brain health, cognition, well-being and mental health.
Caption: Portrait of elderly woman solving sudoku puzzles at home, sitting in living room. Sudoku as popular game for aging people, logical thinking, problem solving.
Photographer: Halfpoint Images
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Caption: File photo dated 26/11/14 of a pint of beer and a set of car keys on a bar in a pub in central London. More than a fifth (21%) of motorists have drunk alcohol after 10pm when needing to drive before 9am the following morning, a new survey suggests. Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which commissioned the poll, warned that drinking alcohol the night before getting behind the wheel can pose a “serious threat” because a “groggy head” means slower reaction times. Issue date: Friday July 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire
Photographer: Philip Toscano
Provider: Philip Toscano/PA Wire
Source: PA
Reduce unhealthy habits
Reducing alcohol intake and quitting smoking are also worthwhile, says neuroscientist Professor Barbara Sahakian.
Selling a house can be a minefield
The market is stagnant, first-time buyers are struggling to save enough for deposits and sales are falling through.
To help, we asked experts for their tips on completing a sale. From what to do with decor and lighting to marketing it correctly.
These are the most common mistakes they see.
(Photo: Anastasiia Krivenok/Getty).
LOREM IPSUM
Paint problems
If you give people the choice of a renovation project or something that’s finished, they’ll go for the latter.
Arsh Ellahi, who has over 20 years of experience in the property industry, says buyers want houses that are done.
Warmer tones like stone and neutrals can also help a sale.
The mistakes to avoid
Leaving out clutter
If all someone can see is clutter, they’re more likely to think the house is too small. Space is value.
‘I do his laundry. I’ve learned to check the pockets. I regularly pull out enough snack wrappers to fill a small bag’, says Allana (Photo: Rani Nurlaela Desandi/Getty)
(Photo: Nuthawut Somsuk/Getty).
Over-decorating
Show homes come without the personal element and are usually plain but modern. This draws people in.
Overpricing
When the price is set too high, it’s more likely to stay on the market. Your home has to look like good value for money.
For the vast majority of people selling the home they live in the process is straightforward and tax-free (Photo: Karl Hendon/Getty)
The mistakes to avoid
Declining offers
Ellahi says the best offers tend to come within the first four weeks of marketing.
Mortgage rates have been rising for days (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
A reader is currently viewing properties (10’000 Hours/Getty Images/Digital Vision)
Being present for viewings
If the owners are there, buyers can feel uncomfortable walking around and getting a sense of the place.
The wrong photos
Photos are the first thing a potential buyer sees, and poor-quality images will stop stage two – the inquiry and viewing.
What to do
Light a candle for atmosphere (Photo: VeranikaSmirnaya/Getty/iStockphoto)
Prepare your home
Windows should be opened to allow fresh air in, and, if it’s cold, the heating should be turned on to make the house feel inviting and homely.
Be flexible
It’s really important to accommodate viewings on weekends or evenings when they’re most popular.
Black alarm clock and bed – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
You do not need to have it all figured out but you do need to start (Photo: Olha Danylenko/ Getty)
Financially prepare
Solicitors’ fees, agent fees, and capital gains tax are all big things to consider when it comes to finances and being ready to sell.
Navigating hot and sticky weather is often a sensory and social nightmare
With summer approaching,
Dr Adil Sheraz of the British Association of Dermatologists, explains why we sweat and
what we can do about it.
Monica Garcia, 65, swelters in Madrid’s first heatwave of the summer (Photo: Isabel Infantes/ Reuters)
Why do we sweat?
Sweating is an important part of thermoregulation. When you sweat and it evaporates off the skin, it will take the latent heat with it.
We’re covered in three to four million sweat glands and the majority produce a sweat made up of just electrolytes and water. In other words, completely odourless.
These eccrine glands function from birth
to keep us cool.
When does sweat smell?
Oil in our sweat can suck in microplastics posing a health risk (Photo: Tom Williams/Getty)
Glands in the armpit, groin and scalp operate differently.
They’re under the control of hormones and the glands contain lipids and potentially fatty esters.
The bacteria on our skin will
feed off these fatty acids and
lipids and cause the odour.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
Are we sweating more now?
It is not just the weather impacts how we sweat…
The bigger you are (in height, weight or muscle mass), the more surface area you will need to sweat on in order to cool down.
This is why men tend to sweat more than women and why you sweat
more when you gain weight.
Medical conditions like diabetes
and thyroid problems will also
cause increased sweating.
Certain dietary items, including caffeine, processed foods and spicy foods can also trigger the chemicals in our body which cause us to sweat more.
When does it matter?
If it’s impacting your daily life, you will likely have some form of hyperhidrosis and need
to speak to a doctor to determine further.
Primary hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating with no underlying cause.
Secondary hyperhidrosis means there’s a condition or illness causing the sweating.
There are two main ways to tell the difference.
Sweating with secondary causes tends to happen all over the body rather than just localised to your palms or armpits.
Primary hyperhidrosis tends to switch off when you’re sleeping as the neurons stop firing. This doesn’t happen with secondary hyperhidrosis.
How to manage sweat
Caption: Relaxed young woman in bright summer clothes is sitting on a bench on a city street with her eyes closed enjoying music through headphones from a smartphone.
Photographer: Tanja Ivanova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Clothing
Wear natural or wicking fabrics that prevent sweat patches, or clothes that are cooling for the skin.
Antiperspirant
One that contains aliminimium is advised as it’s well known for blocking and plugging our sweat ducts.
Caption: Woman applying deodorant roll on under armpit
Photographer: wing-wing
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Britain’s best coffee shops have been revealed – spanning from the tip of Scotland to the bottom of England. (Photo: William Lailey / SWNS)
Dietary changes
Where possible
reduce dietary causes like caffeine and
spicy foods.
Can I save money without giving up fun?
When it comes to financial planning, I’ve always lived month to month, but recently I’ve wanted to be slightly more serious.
So I spoke to a range of financial experts for the easiest, idiot-proof ways to be savvier with money – without just hibernating.
The expert tips
Print out your bank statements
“This is the hardest step but you’ve got to know what’s coming in and out, down to the pound,” says financial coach Ian Dempsey. You’re more likely to remember what’s on there, and pay attention to it on paper.
Caption: Kasia Delgado reads old letters from her childhood.
A professor of happiness at Bristol University taught Kasia how adults can train themselves to be happier and find more joy, like when they were unencumbered children.
Photographer: mail@teripengilley.com
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i News
Source: Teri Pengilley
Caption: Kasia Delgado, Chief Features Writer, i News.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / i News
Source: Teri Pengilley
Draw an image of what you’re saving for
“Anything that requires discipline is much easier to achieve when you [can picture] the end goal,” says Ruth Power, from the Financial Management Bureau.
The expert tips
Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data
Photographer: Andrzej Rostek
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
Go on a money date
If you’re in a relationship, for 30 minutes once a month, take a notebook to the pub/cafe and talk about money with your partner.
Delete shopping apps…
They are designed to be compulsive. Removing them gives you an extra layer of resistance.
Close up of an unrecognizable woman shopping online with credit card via mobile phone – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
An image of a hand that quickly sends an email – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
…and unsubscribe
Marketing emails are designed to reach you when you’re likely to spend money.
How it went when Kasia followed the expert advice
I delete Vinted and only re-download it when I actively want to replace something for my son that he’s grown out of.
I’m no longer buring my head in the sand. Sections of my bank statement flash into my mind when I go to use the Uber app.
Money dates have been uncomfortable. We did have a small argument about buying own-brand beans versus Heinz for example, but scribbling down numbers we want to save has also been exciting.
I have found it easier to be mindful about spending and broke some unhelpful habits, like associating walks with always getting a coffee.
How the UK currently saves
The average person in the UK has £16,067 in savings in 2025.
39%
However, 2 in 5 Britons have £1,000 or less in savings. A quarter have £200 or less.
1 in 6 UK adults (16 per cent) have no savings at all, equating to around 8.4 million people.
82%
Men are estimated to have 82 per cent more in savings than women.
Almost three in 10 (28 per cent) of adults state saving money is a habit.
The final verdict
The truth is, I’m never going to be someone with five side hustles and the financial savvy to become a bitcoin billionaire. But I’m no longer thinking, “where did my salary go?”. The small changes have, over time, made a difference to my bank account, but also my mind and self confidence.
KASIA DELGADO
‘I’ve found greater joy in spending money in an active, more conscious way – on things that felt worth it such as a massage, a cocktail with a friend, a comedy gig, a tricycle for my son,’ says Delgado (Photo: Teri Pengilley/The i Paper)
Six easy swaps to increase your fibre intake
We asked the experts why it’s so important to include enough fibre in our diets, and how to do it without totally overhauling our diets…
Why fibre is important
Fibre isn’t a fad nutrient. It’s been consistently linked to better health outcomes for decades. Unlike protein, which the majority of people already get enough of, fibre is something most of us (96 per cent) are significantly lacking.
NICHOLA LUDLAM-RAINE, SPECICIALIST REGISTERED DIETITIAN AND AUTHOR
The small diet tweaks to make
Beans, lentils and chickpeas are fibre powerhouses, with around 6-8g per half-tin. If you find beans tricky to digest, start with microdosing them for a week and gradually build it up to half a can at a time.
Bread is the category of food that is most thrown away, survey finds (d3sign
Provider: Getty Images)
Caption: Green vegetable salad with chickpea, spinach, cucumber, red onions, and greens on a wooden table. Top view
Photographer: Qwart
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
One of the simplest changes you can make is to switch to wholegrain versions of everyday carbs. Swapping two slices of white bread for wholemeal adds around 3g of fibre.
How to add fibre to your diet
When you cook potatoes the right way they go from being a health burden to a health hero (Photo: Getty)
Keep some skin
The skin of some foods can contain up to 50 per cent of the total fibre. Just make sure it’s safe to eat.
Level up the snacks
Berries, raw vegetables with hummus, or a small handful of nuts are all easy fibre wins.
Yoghurt and frozen berry crunch in a glass jar – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Breakfast cereals can be swapped out for overnight oats (Photo: Jogy Abraham/ Getty Images)
Don’t skip seeds
Ludlam-Raine adds a spoon of mixed seeds to porridge, cereal, yoghurts, soups and salads.
EASY WAYS TO ADD FIBRE TO YOUR DIET
Add in, don’t take away
Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Diet Ingredients Flat Lay – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A few extra handfuls of fibre-rich ingredients might be all that’s needed to take your meals from average to fibre-full.
Small changes are key because they’re more sustainable and better tolerated by the gut. Increasing fibre too quickly can cause bloating or discomfort.
One in four people in the UK is living with mould and/or damp in their home…
David Prince, a leading damp surveyor who travels across the country treating mould, spends the day with The i Paper writer Eleanor Peake.
Surveyor David Prince warns people are being overcharged by rogue companies for unnecessary treatment (Photo: Teri Pengilley)
The UK
Britain’s damp problem is one of the worst in Europe.
45%
Private renters are disproportionately affected, with 45 per cent currently battling symptoms of damp.
30%
From 2015 to 2024, British winters were 16 per cent wetter than in previous years.
By 2070, UK winters are projected to be up to 30 per cent wetter.
The house I visited with David Prince – a private rental
Renters are desperate for a resolution to their ongoing damp issue.
David notes that although the bathroom has an extractor fan, the room wasn’t being ventilated efficiently.
The hot air from the bathroom was floating towards the coldest part of the building (the bedroom) and turning into water as it hit the cold bedroom walls.
This was an internal ventilation issue, other houses have an external issue. When the guttering is overgrown the water has to go somewhere else, sometimes seeping back into the brick.
The houses most at risk
Victorian terraces, or those built in the 1910s, are more likely to have rising damp – where the water seeps through the foundation of the house.
Caption: David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd.
For a feature on damp by Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Caption: David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd.
For a feature on damp by Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Modern houses are often built with concrete ring beams, one of the coldest materials to build with. The damp turns to condensation just by hitting the walls.
Damp specialists
Caption: Eleanor Peake, Senior Features Writer at The i Paper, meets David Prince, Director of Abbott Property Care Ltd, to examine the issue of damp in rental properties.
Photographer: Teri Pengilley
Provider: Teri Pengilley / The i Paper
Source: Teri Pengilley
Only a small number of damp specialists – around 250 – are registered with the Property Care Association (PCA) in the whole of the UK.
This means that a majority of people in the UK are receiving quotes and recommendations about damp from building surveyors who aren’t qualified to give a diagnosis, says Prince.
The golden rules for managing damp
The most common issues can be solved by simple tweaks.
Start with the outside. When it’s raining, have a walk around your building to see if the gutters are pouring water down the wall, or water is being trapped in some way.
Make sure you have good ventilation in key wet rooms: kitchen, bathroom, utility, and toilets.
Open all your windows every day for a short period of time to force natural ventilation – even on cold days.
Never place furniture, or even pictures, on an external wall if it suffers from mould. It helps retain moisture.
Woman awaking after sleeping well in a nice sleeping room. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
SLEEP
How to reset your sleep
Irregular sleep has been linked with poorer cardiovascular health, metabolic disruption, inflammation and mood imbalances.
If your sleep has fallen out of whack, this is what the experts recommend.
From personalised ‘sleep windows’ to unhelpful bedtime routines.
Consistency in bedtimes
It helps the brain feel safer and more predictable around sleep, which is important for people with insomnia. When sleep and wake times are consistent, that clock stays well aligned. When sleep timing is all over the place, the body clock becomes confused…
dr ZOE GOTTS, CONSULTANT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AT THE LONDON SLEEP CENTRE
Couple sleeping in bed – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The changes to make
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Find your sleep window
When do you naturally start to feel tired? Aim to allow your body to sleep within that timeframe most nights.
Wake at the same time
Pick a wake-up time you can stick to and anchor everything around that, says Dr David Garley, sleep expert.
Sleep doesn’t have to be so complicated (Photo: Olga Pankova/Getty)
Caption: TOPSHOT – NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is seen at sunrise at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on April 1, 2026. On Wednesday three men and one woman are set to embark on the first crewed journey to the Moon since 1972, a landmark odyssey that aims to launch the US into a new era of space exploration. The NASA mission dubbed Artemis 2 has been years in the making after facing repeated setbacks, but is finally scheduled to take off from Florida as early as April 1 at 6:24 pm (2224 GMT). (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: GREGG NEWTON
Provider: AFP via Getty Images
Source: AFP
Copyright: AFP or licensors
Get out into sunlight
Exposing yourself to daylight soon after waking helps to sync your circadian rhythm, says Dr Garley.
How to reset your sleep
Regulate your nervous system
Many people are running on exhaustion but still in a state of high alert, so might not be able to rest when needed, says Dr Gotts.
Gentle routines, reduced evening stimulation, and calming the body can make a huge difference.
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Senior bed woman problem pain headache home elderly mature pain bedroom upset unhappy female caucasian adult relationship retirement old difficulty ache head sick migraine hangover sleep – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Don’t spend too long in bed
If you cannot sleep within 20 minutes, get out of bed, ideally out of the bedroom, and find a relaxing and distracting activity to do while you wait for the natural urge to return.
The tweaks to make to reset sleep
(Photo: AzmanL/Getty/E+)
Look at your bedtime
Don’t presume earlier to bed (ie. more time in bed) equals better sleep. The timing needs to fit you.
It might mean going to bed later
Set an alarm to anchor the wake-up time, then choose a bedtime that allows you to fall asleep easily and aim to sleep solidly within that time.
Woman in bed at night having trouble sleeping. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A mature woman lies in bed and reads a hardback book – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Don’t overdo it
Too much preparation can increase pressure around sleep so a short and consistent routine is far more effective.
As children, most of us jumped unthinking, from trees and climbing frames, over ropes, on bouncy castles. Then we got desk jobs, lost muscle and maybe some confidence, and the concept of propelling ourselves into the air for the sake of it begun to feel more jarring than joyous.
But, jumping is one of the best things we can do to improve bone density, which starts to decline after 30, says strength training coach Sarah Best (@findurfituk).
When we land after a jump, we create a ground reaction force – the force the ground pushes back on our body – “which stimulates bones to lay down more bone tissue,” she explains. The ground reaction force of walking is around 1.5 times our bodyweight, and running around 2.5 times. Research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found “simple jumps” produced ground reaction forces of between 3.5 and five times our bodyweight – so are “brilliant for supporting our skeletal system,” says Best.
For mid-life women like me, they are more important than ever, because bone density decline is accelerated as levels of oestrogen – which suppresses the cells that break down old bone – also fall. No great time commitment is needed, stresses Best. “A couple of minutes three times a week is enough to benefit. You definitely don’t have to spend hours jumping.”
In fact, a study of 60 women aged 25 to 50 in Sage Journals found those who jumped 10 or 20 times, twice daily, for 16 weeks had “significant” improvement in hip bone density to those who did no jumping. The women rested for 30 seconds between each jump.
Jumping can improve hip bone density for both men and women
Another trial in the journal Bone found three jumping sessions a week with 10 seconds rest in between each jump improved the bone density of mid-life men after a year.
“Leaving a pause between jumps is as much about reducing the risk of knee injury as anything else, in what is essentially a repetitive loading exercise,” says sports scientist Dr George Bownes, founder of sports medicine clinic Citius Health. Thankfully for me, given I don’t break between jumps, he doesn’t believe these pauses have any additional benefit to bone density, although says holding my jump at the bottom of my squat will help improve my strength.
Jumping, a form of plyometrics – fast, explosive movements that also include hopping – engages fast-twitch muscle fibres, which decline quicker than slow-twitch muscle fibres, required for endurance, as we age.
It improves our power, or how fast we generate force, and our co-ordination. “It trains your nervous system to land safely, react quickly and control your body’s position in the air and on landing,” says Best.
Famous fans include actor Jennifer Garner, 54, who has filmed herself jumping onto a box as part of her fitness regime, and celebrity orthopaedic surgeon and longevity guru Dr Vonda Wright, who advises 20 jumps a day.
It only occurred to me to start jumping regularly as an adult after a beach holiday when my two teenage children were younger. Wanting some sort of workout, I jumped on the sand as I watched them play. Just 10 jumps felt challenging on hard sand – in part, perhaps, because I was barefoot. “If you can tolerate jumping without trainers it is better for your bones as you land with more impact,” says Best, who concedes, however, “it’s a balance between improving bone health and avoiding injury – after several knee operations I tend to keep my trainers on”.
In any case, I realised I should practice more and over the years have built my way up to 32 jumps, which I now tag on to my home weights routine.
Having enough muscle to support your joints and tendons as you jump is key or you risk injuring them, caveats Best, who says strength training is essential for jumpers, and suggests those new to jumping start with a heel drop: “Go up onto the balls of your feet then drop your heels to the floor as hard as you can.” Jumping on rebounders – mini trampolines designed for exercise – is “better than nothing but not really enough,” she adds.
Should I want an extra challenge, Best recommends single leg hops, which improve balance and proprioception – our body’s ability to sense where it is without looking, adding “jumping forwards, backwards and side to side will work the medial and lateral ligaments on the inner and outer knee, which can help protect against knee injuries”.
Broad jumps – “where you jump forward with both feet as far as you can” – will develop my explosive power, she says, as will jumping onto a box, a la Garner, which targets the glutes and quadriceps.
Compared to the effort of lifting dumbbells, jumping feels relatively fun, transporting me back to my youth, when exercise was part of playtime not a prerequisite for health. Up in the air, I feel childlike and free – even if I am fit to drop by the end.