You don't need to go to a gym for exercise! Gyms can be very motivating, however are not for everyone, so what can you do instead?

Exercise comes in various types and mixing activities is a good way of keeping things fresh, while also reaping the benefits. We should be getting at least 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week, but this doesn’t need to be continuous for the whole time. A bout of exercise is classed as anything over 10 minutes of continuous exercise.

We all know physical activity is good for us and as a nation we should be moving more. There are many different methods of physical activity, but all are beneficial in some way. Benefits can include;

• Increased cardiovascular efficiency
• Stronger musculoskeletal system
• Psychological benefits
• Improve sleep quality

Home Exercises     

You can burn calories, lose weight and feel great in the comfort of your own home! This is an excellent solution for those who lead busy lives or when the weather is bad. There are plenty of home workouts available, both online and available to buy on DVD or blu-ray. Some are as quick as 8 minute abs and others that last for 60 minutes, providing a full body workout. There are a variety of exercise styles available too such as aerobics, dance, combat, interval, circuits and weight training, have a browse online. Aside from home workouts there are the everyday tasks that can get your heart rate up too, hoovering is a great way to work up a sweat, gardening, taking the bins out also.

The Great Outdoors! If you live near a park or have your own garden, make use of it!

Find a patch of green and get working! You can do stationary exercise such as star/lunge jumps or core exercises like planks – all of these works you hard and challenge your body! Parks are also great for jogging and fresh air, many organise fun runs of varying distances at the weekend whilst others have outdoor gym equipment available to use for free, so check out your local park to see how you can get involved. Tennis courts also pop up in public parks and are often free to use so if you have a racket and ball then the court is all yours.

Getting to work

Instead of driving your car or using public transport, why not cycle or walk to work? This can easily increase your daily physical activity, cardiovascular fitness and wake you up before your working day. Or even where your journey permits, getting off the tube, train or bus a stop or two early and walking the rest of the way to and from work, it beats being stuck inside a warm carriage and the walking can help clear the mind before and after a long day at work. Alternatively, on short public transport journeys choose to stand rather than sit, especially if you’ll be sat down at your desk for most of the day.

At Work

Try using the stairs instead of the lift, or if you have several floors to climb use the lift part way and walk up the rest. Suggest walking meetings with colleagues where possible and get some fresh air and fuel your productivity. Try to always fit in a brisk 10-15-minute walk over your lunchbreak and even setup a lunchtime walking club. With more people working from home now than ever before, why not trial a standing desk at home, to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting down. If you find yourself on numerous work calls throughout the day, try walking and talking where possible and even outdoors if you don’t need to use your screen.

Classes

Some people find exercise classes more motivating than working out in a gym or on their own as you have the competition and group encouragement factors to push you through an hour or so of exercise. There are hundreds of different classes out there, from Attack to Aqua, Clubbercise to Core and Step to Spinning and lots of gyms and leisure centres offer a free trial so you can try it all out for a day. Many leisure centres will offer affordable facilities like swimming pools, badminton or squash courts for a fun and sociable aerobic activity, so sign up with a friend and get moving.