REAL LIVING | WELLBEING
Move your body
Ask the expert
WORDS RHONA MERCER, JO WOODERSON V,KcK'Y V,w GETTY IMAGES, ALEX LUCK, ALICIA CANTER, PIXELEYES VYKV ]cw>/E' REBECCA NEWPORT, LUIS PERAL
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Source: nhs.uk **Source: caba.org.uk/help-and-guides/information/ways-reach-10000-steps-day ***]Éè
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It may be cold outside, but moving
your body in winter can give you
more energy and ease the
symptoms of Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD)*. Fitness trainer
Woz Whitely shares his tips.
16
STEP IT UP
Walking the
recommended
10,000 steps a
day can be challenging in
winter, so start small: 1,000
steps a day, increasing it by
500 steps each day. You
don’t need to go on long walks
– did you know vacuuming for
20 minutes equals around
1,500 steps**? Sweeping
garden leaves uses 121 steps
per minute***. To gain
1,500
is roughly the
number of steps
taken when you
vacuum for
20 minutes**
cardiovascular benefits of
walking, aim for moderate
intensity – 100 steps per
minute, 1,000 steps during a
10-minute walk or 10 minutes
of activity at home. You won’t
need a heart-rate monitor, just
a simple pedometer or free
phone app to track your steps.
17
WEIGHT YOUR
WORKOUT
It’s easy to
incorporate
resistance training into your
activities and you’ll be burning
more calories and toning
muscles. Fill a backpack with
household items – tin cans or
bottles of water – wrapped in
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around the house or go for a
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 †.
Keep your posture neutral and
don’t arch your back, as this
can cause soreness, and engage
your core (squeeze tummy
muscles) as much as possible.
18
4-MINUTE
WONDER
Break up sofa
sessions with bursts of
energy – 4 minutes every
30 minutes is ideal. Try
6-10 squats, 6-10 high knees
and 6-10 sofa crunches
(check @wozldn for safe
techniques). Repeat as many
times as you can in 3 minutes.
Then do the plank
for 1 minute.
1,000
steps a day is a good
start, then increase it by
500 steps each day
YOUR
19 STRETCH
GOALS
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including improving posture and
increasing your range of motion
to allow more of your muscles
to be worked. If you make time
for only one stretch, try this
one – it will work your
shoulders and arms, and
improve your posture. Hold
both ends of a towel lightly as if
the towel was a bow and arrow.
Stand with feet apart, just wider
than shoulder width, and slowly
hinge hips backwards to bend
into a side lunge position
(keeping your back as straight as
possible). Pull gently and hold
for 5 seconds; release and swap
sides. Repeat 5 times each side.
20
MAKE
A DATE
Set reminders
on your phone
to stretch, do ‘4-minute
wonder’ exercises or go for
a brisk walk. If you intend
to do an online fitness class,
for example, set a time and
stick to it – and set out your
clothes the night before.
BOOST YOUR
21 CONFIDENCE
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family member or friend. It’s
even better if they have
similar goals. Share your
progress weekly and
tell them they’re
accountable if
you slack!
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