\u201cI have just come back from the Alps. The whole system there is set up for sport,\u201d said Dr Fiona Spotswood, associate professor in marketing and consumption at the University of Bristol Business School, in response to the Government\u2019s Get Britain Moving campaign.<\/p>\n
There is easy access to cheap physical activity<\/a>. It is expected that you will cycle or walk,\u201d said Dr Spotswood. \u201cWe just don\u2019t have that in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no doubt that most of our population are hopelessly unfit. A survey for Nuffield Health last year found that three in four people were not reaching the NHS\u2019s recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week \u2013 around 20 minutes a day \u2013 while one in three had not dedicated any time to vigorous exercise in the previous 12 months, <\/p>\n Another study by King\u2019s College London and the Sports Medicine Research Institute at the University of Kentucky report that 54.5 per cent of UK women stop exercising for reasons including not having enough time (80 per cent), confidence (55 per cent), and finding gyms too expensive (65 per cent).<\/p>\n But I\u2019d like to offer myself up as proof that you don\u2019t need expensive equipment or classes to get fit. When I moved from London to the countryside in 2018, I resolved I would find no-fuss, no-spend ways to exercise rather than driving to a leisure centre.<\/p>\n As a health journalist who\u2019s interviewed hundreds of sports scientists, fitness experts and personal trainers over the years, I know the moves that make a difference. I devised my own home workouts, and transformed my body. At 47, despite the fact I work from home and barely leave my desk in the week, I am fitter and stronger than ever before<\/a> \u2013 and paying less for the privilege than when I did use a gym. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n I do 35 press ups before breakfast<\/p>\n Every day I do at least 35 press ups, which strengthen my chest, triceps, shoulders, glutes, legs and core, leave me feeling powerful and have a cardiovascular effect. Harvard research found men who could do 40 or more press-ups in a minute had a 96 per cent lower risk of heart disease compared to those who could do fewer than 10. I do them in the morning in one go \u2013 they take around 75 seconds \u2013 but you could do shorter sets and if you can\u2019t do full press ups, modify the movement by keeping your knees on the floor. You don\u2019t need sports kit \u2013 you don\u2019t even need trainers. Engage your legs, glutes and abdominals<\/a>, keeping your body straight as you lower your chest as close to the floor as possible, taking care not to hunch your shoulders or flare your elbows.<\/p>\n Other body weight exercises \u2013 in which your body forms the resistance \u2013 are similarly brilliant for building strength. A ten-week study in the journal Physiology and Behavior found participants who did them increased their muscle endurance by 11 per cent, particularly in the core and their lower body power by six per cent. I recommend the plank. <\/p>\n With your forearms on the ground, elbows under your shoulders, push up onto your toes, keeping your body in a straight line. I hold for one minute, then hold a side plank for a minute on each side \u2013 resting on your right forearm and the outside of your right foot, lift your hips so your body is diagonal to the ground, and repeat on the left side. You don\u2019t need a fancy smart watch \u2013 I time myself with my \u00a314.99 Casio.<\/p>\n I strengthen my bones with 25 jump squats<\/p>\n As part of a 45-minute home workout I devised myself and do every other morning, I do 25 jump squats \u2013 a plyometric exercise, deploying explosive power by rapidly stretching and then contracting muscles, shown to improve agility and balance, strength, running speed and bone density, by creating stress on bones as you land. <\/p>\n Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing slightly out, back straight, bottom sticking out, squatting as low as you can with elbows bent, hands in front of your chest. Jump as high as you can, pushing your arms down to make the movement as explosive as possible. Return to the start and repeat without pausing. Frame them as reliving your childhood and they almost feel fun.<\/p>\n I lift weights \u2013 which needn\u2019t cost the earth<\/p>\n Using dumbbells I struggle to lift more than 10 \u2013 15 times without taking a breather has undoubtedly grown my arm and leg muscles. I used to lift more reps of lighter weights but most experts agree fewer reps of heavier weights are a better way to activate the fast twitch muscle fibres that build muscle size (we also have slow twitch muscle fibres that are responsible for muscle endurance). Mine, from Factory Weights, were an investment \u2013 I have 10kg (\u00a356), 12kg (\u00a368) and 15kg (\u00a380) dumbbells \u2013 but cheaper versions are available on Amazon.<\/p>\n Lateral raises, rows, bicep curls and triceps kickbacks are in my home workout (Google examples for good form and film yourself to check yours) as are compound weighted movements like squats and deadlifts, that work multiple muscle groups such as the quads, glutes, hamstrings, core and back. I get my weights out the night before so my brain has no excuses when I wake.<\/p>\n Yes, Peloton owners are privileged idiots, but in my defence we\u2019ve had our \u00a31,750 bike for almost five years and between my husband and I we use it at least eight times a week. Our kids use it too, so including our \u00a339 a month Peloton subscription each session works out at less than \u00a32. <\/p>\n The type of HIIT (high intensity interval training) classes I do increase my VO\u2082 max \u2013 my body\u2019s ability to use oxygen during exercise \u2013 and help reduce visceral, or hidden, fat, linked to heart disease<\/a>. Any stationary bike would work \u2013 we used a family friend\u2019s cast off until it broke \u2013 so scout second hand deals. Or for a free home HIIT workout, run up your stairs, walk down, rest for 20 seconds and repeat ten times.<\/p>\n A ten minute run twice a week lifts my spirits<\/p>\n Until my 40s running was my main exercise<\/a>, but Achilles injuries forced me to vary my regime (which was, in fact, a blessing). I don\u2019t want to quit \u2013 there\u2019s nothing like a runner\u2019s high \u2013 and I\u2019m currently jogging from my front door along a quiet road two or three times a week before breakfast, turning round after five minutes and running back.<\/p>\n In addition to improving my cardiovascular health, this exposes me to morning light, shown to boost levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and regulate the circadian rhythm. I plan to gradually increase this distance and return to running 10K once a week but even a ten-minute moderate intensity run was found in a brain imaging study, by the University of Tsukuba in Japan, to improve mood and cognitive processing by increasing blood flow to the brain.<\/p>\n A 45 minute walk at lunch stops me slouching and protects my heart<\/p>\n Desk bound and WFH means I have to make a concerted effort to get steps in. Most days before lunch I walk 45 minutes around local fields \u2013 a habit I can keep up in winter as the afternoon light fails. I make up for the time lost in better afternoon productivity \u2013 I return feeling energised and focused. Having a dog helps motivate me to get out, as does a good audio book. <\/p>\n According to a large observational study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, walking at least 40 minutes two or three times a week was associated with a reduced risk of developing heart failure in postmenopausal women. Walking is also good for posture and mobility and 45 minutes is around 7,000 steps, more manageable than the often quoted 10,000 and a number linked to a 50 per cent lower risk of death, compared to people taking fewer steps<\/a> in a 2022 study in JAMA Network Open.<\/p>\n I stretch in front of the television to save time and sanity<\/p>\n![\"Antonia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_265228450_557bcd-e1757429887281.jpg\")
Antonia Hoyle is fitter and stronger than ever thanks to the home workout she devised<\/p>\n![\"Antonia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_265228707-e1757429744537.jpg\")
Planking: an easy and free way to strengthen your core and lower body power
A 3 minute plank is better for your abs than any expensive weights machine<\/p>\n![\"Antonia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_265228509-e1757430080407.jpg\")
Antonia toned her arms with tricep dips, which can be performed using a chair, table or low wall
I ride a bike or run up the stairs for a free HIIT class<\/p>\n