You don’t need to practice yoga for an hour a day to feel the benefits. You can work through all parts of your body and relax your mind in just five minutes, according to yoga teacher and founder of Wellness With La Rue, Jack Bryant.

“If you’re short on time, a five-minute yoga practice can help improve mobility and also leave you feeling better mentally,” says Bryant.

That’s why Bryant has created this five-minute flow. It moves through a dozen poses relatively quickly, so it suits someone who’s familiar with yoga and is confident joining them together dynamically.

“These yoga poses can shift your energy and ease tight spots or physical tension. It’s perfect if you spend a lot of time sitting during the day,” says Bryant.

“If you want to start a long-term practice, it has to be a sustainable and stackable habit within your life already, so this is a great place to start and see the benefits,” he says.

So whether you develop your asana (postures) practice, need a quick reset from your desk or want to start the day feeling energized, give Bryant’s five-minute yoga flow for mobility a try.

How to do the five-minute yoga flow for mobility

The flow begins by warming up your spine with cat-cow and downward-facing dog poses, before focusing on your right side with low lunge, a forward fold and twisted low lunge.

You transition back to downward-facing dog by way of eight-limbed pose, cobra and child’s pose, then repeat the lunges on your left side. The sequence finishes with a relaxation pose to settle your body back to balance.

Remember to breathe mindfully and gently as you move through the sequence, syncing your breath with each movement.

Ready to try it? Here’s a follow-along video with Bryant, followed by the full sequence and explanations of each pose, in case you would like to flow at your own speed.

Video: Yoga flow for mobility

Warm-up:

• Cat-cow
• Downward-facing dog

Right side:

• Low lunge
• Forward fold
• Twisted low lunge

Transition:

• Eight-limbed pose
• Cobra
• Child’s pose
• Downward-facing dog

Left side:

• Low lunge
• Forward fold
• Twisted low lunge

Transition:

• Cat-cow
• Child’s pose

Cool-down:

• Corpse pose

How to do the poses

Cat-cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees.
• Inhale as you lower your belly, arch your back and lift your chest and chin.
• Exhale as you round your spine, tuck your chin and press your palms into the floor.

Benefit: Mobilizes your spine, improves posture, and gently stretches your back, chest and neck while warming up your core.

Downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

• From your hands and knees, with your feet hip-distance apart, press your palms into the floor and straighten your legs as you raise your hips.
• Pedal your feet, lowering one heel as you raise the other.
• Keep your spine extended and neck loose. Bend your knees as much as you need.

Benefit: Strengthens your shoulders and arms, while stretching your hamstrings, calves, spine and the back of your body.

Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)

• Bring your right foot forward and place it flat on the floor between your palms.
• Lower your left knee to rest on the floor—your toes can be tucked or you can rest the top of your foot on the floor.
• Raise your arms overhead, bring your palms together in front of your chest, or rest them on your front thigh.
• Hold for a few rounds of breath.
• Bring your back foot forward flat on the floor close to your front foot.
• Let your head hang with your back folding forward over your legs, keeping a soft bend in your knees.
• Place your palms on your shins, lengthen your spine, gaze forward and open your chest.

Benefit: Opens your hips and hip flexors, strengthens your legs, and improves balance and stability.

Forward fold (Uttanasana)

• Bring your left foot forward next to your right foot.
• Hold your elbows and gently rock from side to side.
• Inhale as you stand up and raise your arms above your head.
• Exhale as you fold forward, placing your palms on the floor.
• Inhale as you place your palms on your shins and lift your torso so it is parallel to the floor.
• Exhale as you place your palms back on the floor.

Twisted low lunge (Parivrtta Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana)

• Step your left foot back and bend both knees to lower.
• Place your left hand on the floor.
• Reach your right hand overhead, rotating your torso to face right.
• Hold for a few rounds of breath.

Benefit: Improves your spinal mobility, stretches the hips, and opens your chest and shoulders while engaging the core.

Eight-limbed pose to cobra (Ashtanga Namaskara to Bhujangasana)

• Place your right hand on the floor, so both arms are extended and your hands are under your shoulders.
• Step your right foot back so your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Bend your knees and lower them to rest on the floor, keeping your tailbone raised.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chin and chest, keeping your elbows close to your body.
• Press your palms into the floor and move your shoulders forward and up, lifting your chest to face forward, and rolling your shoulders down your back and squeezing your glutes.
• Hold for a few rounds of breath.

Benefit: Strengthens your arms, shoulders and back while opening the chest, stretching the front body and improving spinal mobility.

Child’s pose (Balasana)

• Widen your knees and slide your hips back toward your heels.
• Rest your forehead on the floor and reach your arms forward.
• Hold for a few rounds of breath.

Corpse pose (Shavasana)

• Lie on your back in a comfortable position, with your legs extended or knees bent.
• Place a bolster or cushion beneath your thighs for more support.
• Rest here for 30 seconds (or longer if you have time).

Benefit: Allows the body to fully relax, absorb the benefits of the practice, and calm the nervous system.

Five minutes of Pilates might not sound like much, but in the middle of the working day it can do wonders to release physical and mental tension.

It’s less about getting a workout in and more about helping ease some of the strain built up in the body and mind.

“When we sit for long periods, our joints move less, the muscles around our hips and upper back become stiff, our glutes become less active, and even our breathing can become shallower as we slump into our desks,” explains Rebecca Dadoun, Pilates instructor founder of Pilates Prescription.

“Five minutes of movement gets the spine moving again, encourages circulation, wakes up muscles that have switched off and can leave you feeling both physically and mentally refreshed,” Dadoun tells Fit&Well.

She encourages desk workers to move every 45 to 60 minutes.

“Stand up to take a phone call, walk while waiting for the kettle to boil or perform a few gentle mobility exercises by your desk,” Dadoun adds.

Her short routine introduces gentle movement from your desk in a way that feels realistic when you’re busy at work—perfect when you only have five minutes between meetings.

How to do the five-minute desk-Pilates routine

This five-minute desk-Pilates routine features the following five movements. Perform each one for one minute.

1. Cat-cow
2. Arm opening
3. Side reach
4. Marching
5. Roll down

1. Cat-cow

Time: 1min

Benefit: Mobilizes your spine and relieves stiffness caused by prolonged sitting.

How to do it:

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs.
• Inhale as you push your chest forward, extend through your spine and raise your chin.
• Exhale as you round your back and gently tuck your chin.
• Continue alternating slowly with your breath.

2. Arm opening

Time: 1min

Benefit: Improves spinal mobility and helps release tension through your upper back and shoulders.

How to do it:

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor and arms in front at shoulder height, palms facing.
• Sweep one arm out to the side and round behind you as far as it's comfortable, gently rotating your upper body too, while keeping your hips facing forward.
• Return to center and repeat on the opposite side.

3. Side reach

Time: 1min

Benefit: Stretches the muscles around your rib cage and improves side-body mobility, helping counteract desk posture.

How to do it:

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor and one hand holding the side of the chair.
• Reach the opposite arm overhead.
• Gently lean further over your head without collapsing forward.
• Return to center and repeat on the other side.

4. Marching

Time: 1min

Benefit: Activates your core and hip muscles while improving circulation after sitting.

How to do it:

• Sit toward the front of your seat with your feet flat on the floor and spine upright.
• Slowly raise one knee, then lower it with control.
• Repeat on the other side, then continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Roll down

Time: 1min

Benefit: Encourages segmental spinal mobility so your back feels looser and more mobile.

How to do it:

• Sit with your feet flat on the floor toward the front of your chair.
• Slowly roll your spine forward one vertebra at a time, reaching your arms down your legs.
• Pause briefly at the bottom.
• Slowly reverse the movement with control to the start.

If you spend most of your day sitting down, your glutes are probably paying the price, says Maddy Paupert, head trainer at Xceleration Fitness.

“We all need stronger glutes and hips because we all spend too much time sitting, whether that’s at work, at home, or driving,” she explains.

The importance of strong glutes can’t be overstated. They help support the lower back, knees and hips, and generally make moving around day-to-day easier.

That’s why Paupert has created a five-minute glute routine that can easily be done from home without the need for gym equipment.

How to do the five-minute glute workout

Paupert’s workout consists of five exercises, each done for a set number of reps, which should take around one minute per exercise.

Paupert recommends doing this workout twice a week alongside your other strength training.

The five exercises are:

1. Lying glute bridge x 15
2. Side-lying hip abduction x 15 each side
3. Lateral squat walk x 60sec
4. Donkey kick x 15 each side
5. One-and-a-half squat x 10

1. Lying glute bridge

Sets: 1 Reps: 15

Benefit: Strengthens glutes and hamstrings, and improves core stability.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core and push your feet into the floor to lift your hips until your knees and shoulders are aligned.
• Squeeze your glutes, then slowly lower to the starting position.

2. Side-lying hip abduction

Sets: 1 Reps: 15 each side

Benefit: Strengthens hips, thighs and glutes while stabilising the pelvis.

How to do it:

• Lay on your left side, propped up on your left forearm, with your right leg stacked on top of your left.
• Bend your left knee.
• Flex your right foot, pointing your toes towards your face (this helps protect the knee joint) and rotate your right leg, moving from the hip, so your toes point down—this is your starting position.
• Slowly lift your right leg.
• Lower with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

3. Lateral squat walk

Sets: 1 Time: 60sec

Benefit: Strengthens hip abductor muscles and improves stability.

How to do it:

• Get into an athletic stance by pushing your butt back slightly and bending your knees. (Imagine you’re ready to play defense in basketball or you’re doing a half squat.)
• Stay nice and low in this stance as you take four wide steps to the right and four steps back to the left.
• Continue back and forth for 60 seconds.

4. Donkey kick

Sets: 1 Reps: 15 each side

Benefit: Strengthens the glutes, lengthens the hip flexors and engages the core, hamstrings and back.

How to do it:

• Get on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Keeping your right knee bent at 90°, lift your right leg behind you as far as you can without arching your back.
• Lower halfway, then go straight into the next rep.
• Once you have lifted your leg as high as you can, come back down halfway, and then drive your foot back up towards the ceiling.
• Do all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

5. One-and-a-half squat

Sets: 1 Reps: 10

Benefits: Boosts muscular endurance and builds lower-body strength.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and feet slightly turned out.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your hips are in line with your knees, or lower if your mobility allows.
• Rise halfway, then lower again.
• Stand all the way up, squeezing your glute muscles at the top to complete one rep.

You don’t have to go to a gym or work out for long periods to experience the benefits of exercise. I’ve been telling my personal training clients for years that short home workouts can boost their energy levels, improve strength, and even sharpen their focus without taking over their day.

That’s exactly why I created this simple five-move core finisher.

It builds strength for everyday life by including functional moves that train your ability to rotate and bend.

Tag this onto the end of your workout, or use it as a quick standalone core circuit whenever you like.

How to do the workout

1. Toe touch
2. High-plank knee tap
3. C-shape knee pull
4. Low-plank hip dip
5. Heel tap

Do each exercise consecutively for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, then move on to the next move.

Here’s how to do each move.

1. Toe touch

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back and lift your legs and arms to vertical, or as close as your mobility allows.
• Engage your core and keep your chin slightly tucked toward your chest to protect your neck.
• Use your core muscles to lift your shoulders off the floor and reach your hands toward your toes.
• Lower your shoulders to the floor with control.

Trainer tip: Avoid tension in your neck by engaging your core not your neck—imagine holding an apple between your chin and your throat to maintain good form.

2. High-plank knee tap

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Get on your hands and knees with your shoulders stacked over your wrists.
• Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to feet.
• Lower both knees to tap the floor.
• Extend your legs to lift your knees so your body forms a straight line again.

Trainer tip: Look down throughout the move to avoid straining your neck.

Make it easier: If the high plank position feels too challenging or is uncomfortable on your wrists, drop down to your forearms.

3. C-shape knee pull

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• belly buttonSit with your legs extended in front of you.
• Make a C-shape with your spine by rounding your back and pulling your bellybutton in.
• Lean your torso back as far as you can—the further back you lean, the harder the move.
• Raise your arms to chest height—this is your starting position.
• Brace your core, then bring your left knee toward your chest.
• Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it easier: If you feel any strain in your back, rest your hands on the floor behind you, with fingers facing toward your body.

4. Low plank hip dip

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• From your hands and knees, place your forearms on the floor with your shoulders stacked over your elbows, and step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from head to feet.
• Engage your core.
• Rotate your hips to the left side, lowering your left hip.
• Return to the center, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Heel tap

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms by your sides.
• Engage your core then raise your head and shoulders off the floor.
• Raise your arms to ankle height.
• Reach your left hand toward your left heel, then repeat on the other side.
• Keep alternating sides for 40 seconds.

Cardio might not be as trendy as Pilates or strength training, but that’s not to say it shouldn’t be an important part of your workout regime.

The good news is that you don’t need to train for a marathon or sign up to a bootcamp to look after your cardiovascular health.

A simple five-minute, at-home burst can do the trick, according to trainer Tara Riley, who specializes in Pilates, barre, cardio and strength training.

Riley has created a five-minute barre-inspired cardio burst to give her clients a boost when their energy is low.

Best of all, she’s soundtracked her routine to ’80s classic “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. The track is upbeat, fast-paced and most importantly, fun!

“This is my favourite way to weave in cardio,” she tells Fit&Well. “High energy but low impact, meaning you still elevate your heart rate.”

Riley went on to explain the many benefits of this type of exercise. “Cardio helps improve lung function and metabolic health, build endurance and power, increase energy levels, and strengthen bones,” says Riley.

“Plus, there’s simply no better way to tap into those mood-boosting endorphins.”

Riley’s routine is an easy way to add movement into your day without spending lots of time working out, and it features engaging movements such as lunges, toe taps and barre-inspired movements like passé knee lifts.

I decided to give it a go myself. Here’s what happened when I tried out Tara Riley's five-minute barre-inspired cardio burst.

My experience

When Riley told me this low-impact routine would get my heart rate up without the need for jumping around my kitchen, I was relieved I wouldn’t be disturbing my downstairs neighbors.

I popped on a pair of grip socks, rolled out my yoga mat and headed to YouTube where I found a four-minute and 45 second version of “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler—perfect.

The soundtrack is high energy, which in turn means the routine is fast-paced—that combined with my poor coordination, meant I found myself getting things muddled up.

So, I hit pause and decided to first practice each move without the music.

I got familiar with how it felt to move through the sequence, made sure I was confident in what I was doing and happy that my form was on point, before hitting play again.

After that, it was smooth-sailing. Each of the moves fell effortlessly in time with the beat of the music, and once I got into it I found myself moving easily through the workout.

I was surprised at how quickly this routine got my heart rate up. And I couldn’t stop smiling as I tapped, lunged and bounced to the beat.

I'm fairly new to barre, but the barre-inspired moves in this routine are beginner-friendly. As I spent a few reps with each move, I was able to get into the groove without feeling rushed or like I was falling behind in the routine.

I enjoyed it so much the first time, I hit play for round two, and found I was flowing even more effortlessly between the moves the second time around.

Running is my go-to cardio, but I’ll be filing this one away for those days I’m short on time, or I need to lift my spirits.

See Riley’s step-by-step guide to the routine below. And next time you’re feeling flat, give it a whirl—trust me, it’s an instant mood booster.

How to do Tara Riley’s five-minute cardio burst

Six moves make up one round of this workout, and then you repeat this round until the end of the song. Feel free to add in toe taps or lateral side-to-side movements in between rounds. I've listed how to do each move below, so you can practice them in advance.

1. Side toe tap with arm push

Sets: 1 Reps: 8

• Make a small tap out to the left with your left foot and then do the same on your right to the beat of the music.
• As you move from side to side, press the opposite arm across the body, adding a twist to the torso.
• If you feel able to, add in a slight bounce as you tap it out.

2. Lunge and drive

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Move into a reverse lunge by stepping the left leg back.
• At the same time extend the arms forward so the hands meet.
• From here, drive the left knee forward up to the chest, pulling the elbows back and pressing the chest forward (move quickly through the movement to stay with the beat).
• Complete the reps on the left leg before moving to the right.

3. Lateral lunge

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Start in a wide leg stance with arms out to the sides.
• Lean towards the left, bending the left knee, into a lateral lunge. Keep arms out to the sides.
• Then quickly lean into the right side.
• Move from side-to-side to the beat.

4. Arm / leg coordination challenge

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides.
• Tap your left toe out to the side, while extending your right arm overhead.
• Raise your left leg into a passé knee lift, while lowering your right arm and extending your left arm up.
• Complete the reps on that left leg before moving onto the right side.

5. Lateral lunge with toe touch

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your left knee to lower into a lateral lunge, while extending your left arm overhead, and reaching towards your left toe with your right hand.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Continue, moving side-to-side with the beat.

6. Lateral side step with arm rotation

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with your feet together and arms extended above your head.
• Step your left foot out to the side and sweep your arms in a circular motion in a clockwise direction to your left foot.
• Step back to center, returning your arms overhead, moving counterclockwise.
• Repeat on the other side.

Upper-body workouts are about more than toning your arms. They help build strength and mobility, so you can move more easily throughout your day.

“Upper-body circuits reinforce healthy shoulder mobility, improve posture and strengthen through positions you use in daily life—lifting, reaching, pushing and pulling,” says certified personal trainer Felicia Hernandez.

But that doesn’t mean you need to lift heavy weights, or head to a gym, to look after your upper body.

Hernandez, a trainer at Eden Health Club, has a five-minute upper-body workout you can do from the comfort of your home, at any time of day.

“This mini workout keeps your arms strong, your shoulders moving smoothly, and your body primed to support the real things you care about—like carrying groceries, reaching high shelves, or simply standing tall with confidence,” says Hernandez.

How to do the five-minute upper-body workout

The workout consists of five exercises that you perform for one minute each. There’s no need to count how many times you do each exercise.

“Make sure to take your time and focus on controlled form and breathing,” says Hernandez. If you feel rushed, slow down and go at your own pace.

Hernandez recommends doing this low-impact routine three to four times a week, using it as a morning shakeout, workout warm-up or midday reset.

You can choose to do this workout with or without weights. With some of the exercises, you can incorporate dumbbells, but they work just as well with bodyweight only.

The five exercises are:

1. Wall shoulder roll
2. Wall push-up
3. Alternating overhead reach and pull
4. Lateral raise
5. Isometric biceps hold with pulse

1. Wall shoulder roll

Time: 1min

• Stand with your back and head against a wall, elbows bent to 90° and in line with your shoulders.
• Press your arms, shoulders and back gently into the wall.
• Slowly slide your arms up to form a Y shape—avoid arching your lower back.
• Slowly return to the starting position.

Benefits: The wall shoulder roll improves shoulder joint mobility, posture and scapular control (movement from your shoulder).

2. Wall push-up

Time: 1min

• Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart on a wall.
• Take a step away from the wall, ensuring your body forms a straight line from head to heels. The further you step away from the wall, the more challenging the move.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest slowly towards the wall, keeping your body in a straight line and your elbows close to your body.
• Extend your arms to press back up.

Benefits: This modified push-up strengthens your chest, arms and shoulders in a joint-friendly range, ideal for beginners or those easing back into strength work.

3. Alternating overhead reach and pull

Time: 1min

• Stand tall or sit upright.
• Raise both arms overhead.
• Pretend you’re slowly pulling down a rope, drawing your elbows toward your rib cage.
• Extend arms back up with control.
• Alternate sides or perform both arms at once.

Benefits: The movement targets your lats and upper-back muscles, while delivering a surprising core challenge.

4. Lateral raise

Time: 1min

• Stand with a slight bend in your knees and elbows. You may hold light dumbbells by your sides, but the exercise can be performed without weights.
• Slowly raise your arms out to the sides to shoulder height.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed; the movement should be powered by your mid-back and shoulder muscles.
• Lower with control.

Benefits: This strength training staple builds shoulder stability and improves joint health even without weights.

5. Isometric biceps hold with pulse

Time: 1min

• Stand with your hands in front of your thighs, palms facing forward. You may hold dumbbells if you wish.
• Keeping your upper arms pinned to your torso, bend your elbows to lift your forearms to horizontal.
• Squeeze your fists or the dumbbells, and pulse your hands up one inch and back down.
• Perform pulses for one minute, focusing on muscle activation, not speed.

Benefits: You will engage your biceps and forearms, while building muscular endurance and grip strength.

The older I get, the more I need to practice mobility to reduce the daily aches and pains I’m (sadly) starting to feel.

Hip stiffness is my biggest problem. My right hip in particular gets achy when I’ve been sitting for too long, which is why I wanted to try a five-minute hip mobility routine every day for a month to see if it could help.

After a quick YouTube search, I found a routine by NASM-qualified fitness instructor Alyssa Schwartz, which looked ideal for stretching out my stiff hips and fitting in on a daily basis.

Instead of practising the routine at the same time each day, I decided to slot it in as and when I needed it; on a break when working from home, as a warm-up before a run, and a wind-down before bed.

After committing to this routine for a month, I noticed three tangible results.

The routine

The changes

1. My stride feels longer and more relaxed

It took around three weeks of daily hip stretching for me to notice a difference in my walking and running stride, but I was really pleased once I did.

I hadn’t actually realized that my stiff hips were limiting my stride length, but after this experiment my steps now feel smoother, like my hips aren’t blocking any motion.

It’s subtle, but I can tell I’m covering more ground with less effort.

2. My pangs of stiffness are less frequent

As I mentioned earlier, my right hip will start to twinge when I’ve been sitting for a long time.

It’s the sort of discomfort that borders on painful, so I’m glad to report that just five minutes of daily stretching has massively reduced this.

I also find that I don’t need as long to limber up before going on a walk or run, as everything in my lower body feels ready to move much sooner.

3. My balance has improved

This one surprised me.

The routine I followed focuses on loosening the hips, but after a month, I can feel a big difference in my single-leg balance and control.

When I perform any unilateral exercises now, I feel less wobbly and more stable. My hips don’t drop to one side during moves like lunges and I feel like my pelvis is more stable when running.

A good piece of advice Schwartz shares in the video is to notice whether we sit cross-legged, or stand with our weight shifted to one side more than the other.

I’ve definitely become more aware of when I’m doing this, which could be making as much of a difference to how my hip feels as the routine itself.

I regularly deal with aches and pains during work hours, whether it's tight hips when I'm sitting at my desk or a knot in my shoulder that just won't go away.

I know that I should be stretching more to offset the effects of my desk job, but I struggle to find the time.

However, one of my favourite yoga instructors, Mara Cimatoribus, recently shared a super simple morning stretching routine that only takes five minutes.

I decided to give it a go for a week to see if it could help my body feel better.

How to do Mara Cimatoribus' morning stretching routine

The routine features five poses. I held each pose for 30 seconds on each side, or one minute when the move incorporated both sides.

What happened when I stretched for five minutes every morning for a week

I often wake up with stiffness but tend to ignore it, diving straight into my day.

However, I discovered that taking the time to do Cimatoribus' stretching routine from my bed provided immediate relief to my muscles and joints.

The seated side stretch and twist soothed my upper back and shoulders, where I hold the most tension.

The forward fold was also incredibly satisfying for my lower body. I was feeling pretty inflexible when I woke—likely from being horizontal for eight hours—but my leg muscles relaxed deeply into this stretch after just a few seconds.

Stretching as soon as I woke up also meant that I had five minutes for myself before the day started, which helped me feel less stressed.

Although some general stiffness did return throughout the day, the discomfort in my upper body was significantly reduced.

It's definitely a habit I'm going to stick with, as the mental and physical benefits were well worth the time, and practicing it from bed meant it was easy to fit into my morning routine.

"You’re moving very stiffly," my partner pointed out at the end of 2024, as I bent down to tie my shoelace—and he was right. Like many people, I spend hours working at my desk and my muscles are often tight when I clock off.

Stretching usually gets little to no attention in my daily routine. I might squeeze in some guided stretches before and after a workout class or do a back stretch while waiting for my lunch to heat up, but I rarely make the time to do a dedicated flexibility session.

Determined to make 2025 the year of change, I decided to commit to five minutes of stretching every morning. I spotted Yoga with Bird’s five-minute morning yoga workout for busy people, rolled out my mat and got started.

Thirty days later, I feel more supple, awake and energized.

How to do the five-minute morning stretch routine

Five minutes might not sound like much, but it’s more than enough time to enjoy a full-body stretch.

This practice starts with a nearly three-minute-long child’s pose, which was great for relieving tension in my hips and back—two areas that often feel stiff after sleeping.

The routine then eases into cat-cow, downward-facing dog, cobra pose and a forward fold—all of which take my spine through essential movement patterns, like flexion and extension.

Here's everything I learned after doing 30 days of yoga.

Stretching doesn’t have to complicated

Many of the exercises in this practice are considered accessible yoga stretches for beginners, which anyone can do.

While I’m not new to yoga (I’ve been practicing for more than 10 years), I still found these foundational moves satisfying and effective at easing tension. By the end of the session, my muscles felt lighter and my whole body felt noticeably more relaxed.

My flexibility improved fast

It probably comes as no surprise that my flexibility improved but I was surprised with how quickly I saw progress. At the start of this challenge, I was unable to touch the floor in a forward fold. After a week, the floor was within reach and 30 days later I could place my hands comfortably on the ground.

It boosted my focus

This was the most unexpected benefit. I consider myself a morning person but it can take me a good 40 minutes to fully wake up and get going.

Adding stretching to my routine started my day with a sense of purpose. Moving first thing also helped me feel more productive. Plus, I’ve noticed I complete my morning tasks more easily and with greater concentration.

Pilates is great for strengthening your deep core muscles, which have the important job of protecting your spine and stabilizing your body during movement.

However, if practiced in a studio, Pilates can be quite costly. Fortunately, there are online Pilates workouts you can do at home without equipment, created by fitness influencers like Amanda Blauer. Now you can reap the benefits of Pilates without breaking the bank.

Lately, I’ve been skipping my deep core exercises due to a tight schedule and now I’m paying the price with niggles in my back. Knowing I needed to return to the basics, I decided to give Blauer’s five-minute deep core Pilates workout a try.

How to do Amanda Blauer’s deep core Pilates workout

All you’ll need for this workout is a yoga mat, some space on the floor and 5 minutes to spare. The exercises Blauer includes are gentle so the routine should be suitable for most experience levels.

The exercises are:

1. Alternating single-leg toe tap x10 repetitions
2. Alternating dead bug x10 repetitions
3. Slow abs curl x10 repetitions
4. Abs curl alternating march x10 repetitions
5. Articulated glute bridge x8 repetitions

Blauer doesn’t specify if 10 repetitions should be performed in total for the alternate moves or on each side. As a certified personal trainer, my recommendation is to do 10 repetitions in total the first time you try this routine, then slowly increase your reps until you can perform 10 on each side with good form.

What I found from doing this deep core Pilates workout

1. It’s great for beginners and experts

This is a fantastic entry-level Pilates workout with all the exercises designed to build awareness and core strength. The one drawback is that Blauer doesn’t include verbal cues. So if you’re a novice, I might start with this beginner’s Pilates workout that offers more form pointers.

Despite its simplicity, the workout would still be beneficial for those with experience. As a fitness professional, I’ve done my fair share of toe taps and dead bugs but I find revisiting the basics always worthwhile. If you’re familiar with the moves, you could use this routine to wake up your abs before a more intense workout.

2. The emphasis on breath was helpful

Breath is central in Pilates, so it’s great to see Blauer skip the high-energy dance music common in fitness videos in favor of audible exhales, helping you find your own breathing rhythm. I also found this focus on breath has a meditative effect, helping me establish a deeper mind-body connection from the start.

3. Simple doesn’t mean easy

Blauer performs the exercises in a slow and controlled pace, and if you dial into your form and tempo in the same way you’ll be able to feel your core muscles activate and even fatigue by the end.

With my reasonably strong core, my abs weren’t wiped by the end, but I still felt them working. To increase the difficulty, you could add repetitions or light weights to some of the exercises, which is something I may do when I try it again.