From brushing your teeth to making a cuppa, six everyday activities gym-haters can use to get fit without breaking a sweat
WORKING up the motivation to improve your health and fitness is often the hardest part of the battle.
For the majority of us, packing a gym bag is enough to make us break out in a sweat, let alone hitting a treadmill or lifting weights.
But fear not, gym-haters. Personal trainers and health experts say you do not need to jump around performing hundreds of exercises to tone up. Small, subtle squeezes throughout the day can help tone muscles during your spare moments.
Fitness Editor JENNY FRANCIS offers some super-simple exercises – no sweat required.
Get abs at work
Getting abs in the office does not involve doing sly sit-ups under the desk. Whether you sit at a computer, drive a lorry or are on your feet all day, you can take part in a “deep abdominal squeeze”.
The tummy area is made up of lots of muscles that, when squeezed and activated through the day, work together to build a stronger core.
Around six times a day, for a minute each, breathe out and squeeze your abs in and up and hold for ten seconds before relaxing. Repeat. Do this every hour of your working day for a minute and your muscles will become much stronger.
Tone up on the train
Sitting for long periods on public transport does nothing for our health and fitness. While sat on a bus or train, give your shoulders a workout with simple shoulder shrugs.
Lift the shoulders up as high as you can then roll them back and down, pushing the shoulder blades together as you move.
Do this around ten to 15 times in a row – and a few times a day – to improve your posture, stop you slumping as well as boost your circulation.
Boost bum in bed
Want a bigger booty but the thought of performing a squat sounds too daunting? The next time you are lying in bed, try this relaxing way to boost your butt by simply squeezing your glutes.
Either sit up in bed or stay lying down and squeeze your glutes as hard as you can for five seconds before relaxing for ten seconds and repeating.
Squeezing your glutes like this for 15 minutes a day for eight weeks can improve your gluteal strength by 16 per cent, studies show. That is five per cent more than some gym-based glute exercises.
Tea-total posture fix
It takes three minutes for a kettle to brew. So while you wait, fix your posture. Stretch hands above your head, hold together then, keeping arms straight, bend the body to one side, hold for a second and return to top. Do it three times on each side.
To finish, stand firm and bend forward keeping legs straight and hold for a few seconds then roll up. This helps wake up the spine and upper body to improve posture.
Now, where is that cuppa?
Six-pack on the sofa
Even your choice of telly programmes can help improve fitness. German researchers found that laughter works some of the core muscles just as much as ab exercises in the gym.
Switch from a drama to a comedy and your giggles will switch on your core muscles and activate your abs, forcing them to work harder.
Or get some of your funniest pals over for a laugh-until-it-hurts workout.
Brush yourself lean
We clean our teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day, so it is the perfect opportunity to add in some movement to bolster your fitness. You don’t even have to leave the bathroom.
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Your calves – the back of the bottom of your legs – can be strengthened and toned really easily without using weights.
As you brush, stand up as straight as you can then push through the balls of your feet and raise your heels until you are standing on your toes.
Hold for a second then lower slowly back to the start. Repeat until you stop brushing.
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