Welcome to the latest edition of our guide to help you with ideas to get fit and healthy.

Why is exercise so important? Being physically active offers many rewards. You can lose weight, become fitter, reduce stress levels, improve sleep and increase your life quality and expectancy. Overall, it makes you feel refreshed and happy! It’s suggested that everyone should participate in some form of exercise for 30-minutes 5-days-a-week, whether it be walking to the shops, going up and down the stairs, going for a swim or going to a weekly aerobics class.

You don’t need to follow celebrity diet tips
You always see secret celebrity diet tips in the magazines, but do you really think that they had a secret that no one knows? Diet books and diet secrets are no good. There should just be five simple words in every diet and exercise books on any shelf, and they are: EAT MORE HEALTHILY & EXERCISE MORE.

Celebrities you see in magazines didn’t go for a run and BAM!… brand new body. It took time, determination and willpower, and you can do it too. The exercises described below are all easy to do and you can modify them yourself, so you can go at your own pace, do it in your own time and do it anywhere you like. By just doIng a few of these exercises every day will all add up to your 30 minutes of exercise. With some willpower, and maybe a few friends to help along the way, you could be exercising yourself to a new and healthier you.

Warm-up

It is important to stretch and warm-up before exercising.

 To prevent injury, it is important that you warm-up before exercising. This should involve about 5-10 minutes of light activity at a medium intensity; such as stretching, bending, light jogging and knee lifts.

Following the warm-up, your workout should contain between 20-30 minutes of exercise at a higher intensity (during moderate exercise you should be breathing more heavily than normal and feel warmer). You may modify the workout if necessary to suit your circumstances. Increase or decrease the number of repetitions according to your particular needs and physical ability. Finally, you should end with 5-10 minutes of cooling down at a medium intensity (similar to the warm up).

 Warning: you should stop exercising if you feel pain or discomfort.

 Sit-ups

Sit-ups define your stomach muscles and tone them. Start on your back, feet on the floor, knees bent, fingers to the side of your head to support the weight of your head. Look straight ahead and keep your neck in a relaxed, neutral position. Inhale, and slowly lift your shoulders, neck and head. Your lower back should stay in contact with the floor throughout the movement. Contract your abs, hold for a second, then exhale and slowly return to the starting position. Pause, then repeat. The key to sit-ups are smooth, slow movements, feeling the contraction in your abs the whole time.

For beginners try to do 2 or 3 sets of 10-15
sit-ups. For those more advanced, try to do
3 or 4 sets of 20-25 sit-ups.

 Push-ups

Push-ups work your arms, shoulders and chest. They are equivalent to benching nearly all of your body weight. Keep your hands slightly wider apart than your shoulders, and your fingers should point forwards. Start with straight arms and don’t lock your elbows. Keep your back straight in line with your legs. Balancing your body weight on your palms and toes, slowly lower yourself to the floor by bending your elbows, pause, and push yourself back up. If you need to start with an easier push-up, go on your knees instead of your feet and change when that becomes easy.

For beginners try to do 2 or 3 sets of 10-15 press-ups.
For those more advanced, try to do
3 or 4 sets of 20-25 press-ups.

The plank / side plank

The plank is one of the most effective ab exercises.
Not only does it strengthen the abdominal muscles, but also works all the core muscles – the back, hips, etc. Start by lying face down. Propping yourself up by forming a bridge with your elbows and forearms underneath your chest. Maintain a flat back and do not allow your hips to sag towards the ground. Hold this position focusing on tightening your abs. For the side plank lie on your side with one elbow on the ground propping yourself up. Lift yourself up to form a plank, with your other arm on your side, and hold this position. Repeat with the other side.

For beginners, hold for 10-30 seconds, for more advanced hold
for 1-2 minutes.

 Running

Running is a very good way for keeping fit. It helps strengthen your bones, keeps your heart healthy and improves your balance. It uses a lot of energy and you can do it anywhere, whether that be the park, the street you live or even going to the countryside. It’s an aerobic exercise which is good for your cardiovascular health. It burns off calories, controls your weight and can improve your stamina, which is always a good thing. You can run listening to music, or run with a friend. You might feel the burn when you first start off, but that is your body getting used to the exercise. After a few regular runs your body should be used to it and you should be able to run a bit more. You’ll be surprised at what your body can do after a few runs and a little bit of willpower.