When trainer Garett Reid of wellness app BetterMe: Health Coaching first starts training clients with diabetes, he typically gets them to start with this tried-and-tested routine.

It’s a simple strength training workout that, when used correctly and with appropriate precautions, can help someone understand how their body responds to exercise.

That’s because building muscle or boosting VO2 max should be secondary to learning how your blood sugar levels fluctuate when lifting weights or performing cardio.

“Your first month, don’t even worry about building muscle,” Reid tells Fit&Well. “In my opinion, you need to learn how your body reacts to the training.

“Strength training is going to improve insulin sensitivity. Cardio is going to improve muscle function. That is going to improve your body’s ability to regulate glucose.

“A year down the road you can train exactly the same as someone without diabetes, but the early workouts should be all about adapting and learning how your body reacts.”

BetterMe has recently launched a series of workouts for people with diabetes in collaboration with the charity Diabetes UK, emphasizing the importance of testing blood sugar levels before and immediately after a workout, and two to four hours later.

Here, Reid, an NSCA-certified trainer, shares a full-body strength workout he recommends to his clients with diabetes when just starting out to introduce exercise safely and smartly.

How to perform the strength workout if you have diabetes

Reid tends to recommend strength training first “because in general people don’t strength train and they have low levels of muscle mass to begin with”.

Increasing muscle mass over time can also aid in glycogen storage, naturally lowering the amount of glucose coursing through your blood.

He typically recommends keeping workouts limited to six exercises that target multiple muscle groups at once.

“Pick one compound exercise for each major body part, including the chest, back, shoulders, legs and core,” he says.

For the abs, Reid favors standing exercises that challenge the entire core region to maintain balance and stability, such as suitcase or front carries, but because you may not have access to weights, the below workout uses a plank to train your core instead.

Start off with two sets per exercise, for eight to 12 reps per set (you should end the set feeling like you could do three or four more reps), and rest for 90 seconds between sets to keep training intensity low.

Repeat this routine two to three times per week for four weeks.

“The next session, do the same [number of sets and reps], then the same again. You might find it a little boring when you start, but that’s intentional.”

Once you know how your body and blood sugar levels respond to the demands of the workout, you can gradually increase the weight you’re lifting and intensity (by lifting closer to failure, feeling like you end the set with two reps in reserve) to encourage your muscles to grow.

Here’s the beginner-friendly, full-body workout Reid recommends for people with diabetes.

1. Squat

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing out slightly.
• Sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your knees wide and raising your arms to help you keep your chest up.
• Lower until your hips are level with or below your knees, keeping your heels on the floor throughout.
• Push through your feet to stand upright, making sure your knees don’t cave in.

Make it harder: Perform a goblet squat, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell close to your chest.

2. Glute bridge

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Press your arms into the floor on either side of your body to aid stability.
• Press through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from knees to shoulders.
• Pause and squeeze your buttocks at the top of the lift, then lower your glutes to the floor with control.

Make it harder: Perform this exercise with your shoulders elevated on a bench or box.

3. Wall push-up

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand an arm’s length away from a wall.
• Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, maintaining a straight line from your shoulders to ankles.
• Push the wall away to return to the starting position.

Make it harder: Step further away from the wall to increase the challenge.

4. Banded bent-over row

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a long-loop resistance band under both feet.
• Grasp either end of the band and sit your hips back to hinge forward, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
• Retract your shoulder blades to engage your back muscles and engage your core.
• Pull the band toward your lower ribcage, bending your elbows and drawing them past your torso.
• Pause, then extend your arms slowly.

Make it harder: Use a stronger band or start with your hands further down the band to increase resistance.

5. Resistance band standing overhead press

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with your hands inside a small-loop resistance band in front of your shoulders, with your palms facing and your hands pressing out to create tension in the band.
• Squeeze your glutes and engage your core to avoid arching your lower back as you move.
• Lift your hands overhead, maintaining tension in the band.
• Pause, then lower.

Make it harder: Use a stronger band or secure a long-loop resistance band under your feet as you press the other end straight overhead.

6. Plank

Sets: 2 Time: 30-45sec Rest: 90sec

• Lie on your front with your forearms on the floor, elbows directly under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart (move them further important to make the move easier).
• Engage your core and lift your hips so your body is in a straigh line from ankles to shoulders.
• Hold this position, remembering to breath normally as you count down the seconds.

Make it harder: Gently rock forward and backward to introduce greater instability.

BetterMe says it will donate 50% of profits from new sign-ups to its diabetes-supported exercise program to Diabetes UK.

Shop BetterMe bands

It’s well known that strength training can help you age well, but it’s not the only type of exercise that can help with longevity.

I always incorporate coordination training into my chair-based yoga classes and personal training sessions with older adults, to fire up the mind-to-muscle connection.

Doing this helps my clients stay sharp, agile and confident in their everyday movements, whether manoeuvring around people on the bus or multi-tasking at home.

Coordinating your limbs to move in different directions comes fairly automatically when we’re younger, but it needs more intentional training in later years—and research shows that this approach works.

A 2019 review of balance and coordination exercises in older adults found that they can improve cognitive processes like spatial awareness (helping you navigate a crowded street) and postural control and stability in a distracting environment.

Some of my clients can do coordination exercises from standing, which I combine with balancing moves. Others do them seated.

The point is, these exercises can be easily adapted to challenge your movement, balance and coordination, whatever your mobility.

1. Knee and opposite arm raise

Reps: 5-6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
• Keep your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.
• Raise your right knee and move your left arm in front of you, staying at shoulder height, slow and controlled.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating to complete your reps.

Perform it seated: Do a seated march slowly, with control, and raise your opposite arm overhead or in front with each knee raise.

2. Step-out and opposite arm raise

Reps: 5-6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
• Step your right foot out to the side—lower into a side lunge if that’s comfortable or stay upright—and reach your opposite arm forward.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating to complete your reps.

Perform it seated: Do a seated side step-out and open your opposite arm out to the side at shoulder height.

3. Catch and throw balance

Reps: 5-10

• Stand holding a ball a few steps away from a wall.
• Raise one foot, holding your balance steady on the other.
• Perform an underhand throw to bounce the ball lightly against the wall, then catch it.
• Use one or two hands, depending on your ability.
• Throw the ball in different directions to challenge your coordination and reaction times.

Make it easier: Stand on both feet or perform it seated. Experiment with the size of the ball, too.

Having a strong core that can stabilize your body is vital at any age, but it gets more important as you get older.

These mid-body muscles protect your spine, keep your posture healthy and help with your balance. All of these things are vital if you want to move with ease and maintain your independence.

There are plenty of core exercises you can do at home, but one of my favorites is the suitcase carry, which involves picking up a heavy weight in one hand and walking for 30 seconds, then switching sides.

During the exercise, the weight will try to pull you off center. You have to switch on your core muscles to stay upright.

It’s not just me who thinks that this is a star exercise—physical therapist Dr Sean Sullivan also says it’s packed with benefits.

“It challenges grip strength, core stability, posture, balance, and walking at the same time,” says the owner of SpineScottsdale.

Here’s how to do the suitcase carry.

How to do the suitcase carry

Sets: 1-3 Time: 20-30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a weight on the floor to your left.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and lower down to grasp the weight in your left hand.
• Stand back up, holding the weight.
• Walk for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch hands.

Tips on how to do it better

“The biggest mistake is using so much weight that you start leaning to one side,” cautions Dr. Sullivan.

You could try using a lighter weight if you struggle to stay upright, but I have a different approach.

When I’m working with a client who’s having trouble maintaining correct form, I’ll sometimes omit the walking portion of the exercise and have them stand holding a weight with one hand. Starting this way can help build deep core strength and stability.

Once they can hold the weight properly for at least 30 seconds, I’ll reintroduce walking for a shorter timeframe, completing 10-20 seconds instead of 20-30.

If you want to make the move harder, you can pick up a heavier weight.

If you don't have access to heavier weights, you can also challenge your balance by lifting one leg and holding it for up to 10 seconds with each step.

As someone who has been going to the gym for many years, I’ve always, perhaps unfairly, assumed that home workouts aren’t quite as effective as gym workouts.

However, I recently moved to a new area and I haven’t been able to find a gym I enjoy training at, so I’ve switched to home dumbbell workouts and I’ve been surprised by how much progress I’ve made.

But, working out at home means you don’t necessarily have the variety of equipment that you get at the gym. So, I asked personal trainer Pippa Sealey to put together a workout that mimics a varied gym-based workout with just a pair of dumbbells.

How to do this home dumbbell workout

“This workout allows you to increase the intensity at home by adding more sets, reps and a more challenging tempo,” Sealey explains. You’ll notice that as well as sets and reps, two of the exercises include tempo advice, which refers to how many seconds you should spend on each section of the move.

For example, if the tempo of a squat is 3111, that means you should spend three seconds lowering, one second at the bottom of the movement, one second to stand up and one second at the top of the movement.

Focusing on tempo can increase the time your muscles are under tension, which is a great way to help promote muscle growth, replicating the type of stimulus you achieve in the gym with a heavier weight.

This workout also incorporates supersets, which means you do two exercises back-to-back with no rest. “Adding in supersets is a good way of adding intensity at home,” says Sealey.

Complete all the reps of exercise A, then all the reps of exercise B to complete one superset. Continue until all the sets are complete, then move onto the next pair of exercises.

1A. Deficit calf raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, with your heels hanging off the edge.
• Slowly lower your heels below the level of the step, feeling a stretch through your calves.
• Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible, squeezing your calves at the top.
• Lower your heels back down slowly and with control, keeping your legs straight without locking your knees.

1B. Single-leg bridge

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core and lift your left foot off the floor.
• Push through the heel of your right foot to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to your right knee.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top, making sure your hips are level and you’re not arching your lower back.
• Slowly lower your hips to the floor.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

2A. Dumbbell goblet squat

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-15 Tempo: 3111 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest with both hands, keeping your elbows close to your body and your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower, keeping your chest upright, until your hips are at knee height or lower—take three seconds to complete this movement.
• Pause for one second, keeping your heels planted and your knees directly above your feet and pointing in the same direction as your toes.
• Push through your feet to stand upright, taking one second to complete the movement.
• Pause for one second and squeeze your glutes.

2B. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Sets: 4 Reps: 10–12 Tempo: 3111 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your knees slightly bent.
• Push your hips backwards to lower the dumbbells, keeping them close to your legs and maintaining a neutral spine, stopping when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings—take three seconds to complete this movement.
• Pause for one second.
• Drive your hips forwards to return to standing, taking one second to complete the movement.
• Pause for one second and squeeze your glutes.

3A. Half-kneeling single-arm dumbbell press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Start in a half-kneeling position with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor in front of you, with both knees bent to 90°.
• Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height in your left hand.
• Engage your core.
• Press the dumbbell overhead, avoiding leaning backwards, arching your lower back or letting your ribs flare.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell back to shoulder height with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

3B. Dumbbell reverse lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step one foot backwards and bend both knees to 90° to lower.
• Keep your chest upright, core engaged and your front knee tracking in line with your toes.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides, or alternate sides with each rep to make it more difficult to maintain your balance.

4A. Dumbbell side bend

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand by your right side.
• Engage your core.
• Slowly bend from your waist to the right side, lowering the dumbbell down the outside of your leg.
• Lower only as far as you can comfortably without twisting your torso or leaning forward.
• Use your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your torso) to lift your torso back to an upright position, moving slowly and with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

4B. Dumbbell dead bug pull-over

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, holding one dumbbell securely with both hands above your chest with your knees bent at 90° and legs raised with your knees directly above your hips.
• Engage your core and gently press your lower back into the floor, keeping your ribs down throughout the movement.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell overhead while extending and lowering one leg, maintaining tension through your core.
• Return to the starting position with control, then repeat with the opposite leg, alternating legs with each rep.

Shop adjustable dumbbells

To get a gym-like experience at home without taking over a spare room with a weight rack, it’s a good idea to buy a pair of adjustable dumbbells, which allow you to add or subtract plates from one set of handles. Here is our top three picks from our guide to the best adjustable dumbbells.

When you like to run, you will never be able to shake the temptation to skip strength training in favor of more miles, but you must remember that regular strength training helps keep you strong enough to run regularly without injury.

“It’s a crucial part of training,” says Paupert, who is a certified personal trainer at Xceleration Fitness.

She’s put together a four-move workout exclusively for Fit&Well readers that strengthens and protects your knees and hips in particular, so you’re less likely to develop an injury and have to stop running. Not only that, the added leg strength and core stability should see you achieve faster times.

The lower-body workout for runners

If you’re unfamiliar with strength training, begin with bodyweight versions of Paupert’s four moves. “Practice this lower-body workout unweighted at first, then you can start to add light weights and build up,” Paupert says.

“As you progress, think about the weight of a big suitcase that you’d take on holiday. That usually weighs around 40lb so if you can lift a suitcase you could try, for example, your kettlebell deadlift exercise with two 20lb kettlebells.”

1. Single-leg step down

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

How to do it:

• Stand on a yoga block or weight plate that is three to four inches tall with your right foot, holding your left foot behind you so it is off the platform.
• Bend your right knee to slowly lower your left heel to tap the floor, keeping your hips level throughout.
• Extend your right knee to return to the starting position.

Progression: To make this exercise more challenging, increase the height of your block or hold a weight at your chest.

Benefits: Strengthens the quadriceps and the patellar tendon in the front of the knee. It isolates one leg at a time to help with any strength asymmetries you may have.

2. Double kettlebell sumo deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Start with a wide stance that is wider than your shoulders with your toes turned out about 45°, and two kettlebells of equal weight between your feet.
• Bend your knees slightly and push your glutes back, hinging forward from your hips to reach down and take hold of the kettlebells.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles.
• Push your hips forward and push the floor away with your feet to stand upright, lifting the kettlebells.
• Slowly lower the kettlebells back to the floor by pushing your glutes back and then bending your knees.

Benefits: Works your glutes, hamstrings and adductors while protecting the lower back and improving hip mobility. As a runner, strengthening the posterior chain is important because that’s what propels you forward as you run.

3. Lateral lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet together.
• Take a big step out to the right, keeping your torso over your right leg and your left leg straight.
• Bend your right knee to lower.
• Push through your right foot to return to the start.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Progression: Once you have mastered the movement pattern, hold a kettlebell at your chest or dumbbells by your sides to make it more challenging.

Benefits: Strengthens the hips and knees, while reducing risk of injury by training in a direction we don’t usually move in day-to-day.

4. Suitcase march

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

How to do it:

• Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell by your left side, slightly away from your body.
• Slowly lift and bend your left knee to hip height (or higher).
• Return your left foot to the floor with control then repeat on the right side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep, then repeat holding the weight on your right side.

Form tip: If the weight is in your left hand, focus on keeping the tension and control in your right obliques.

Benefits: Improves core stability, hip flexor strength and oblique strength.

I always tell my clients they don’t need to spend hours at a gym to get a good workout.

In fact, one of my go-to routines takes just 10 minutes and only requires a single dumbbell.

On days when my schedule is packed, I use this sequence to target my legs, arms, back and core.

It’s a circuit workout, which means you’ll do one set of reps for each exercise before moving on to the next. Perform all the exercises to complete one round of the circuit.

I always aim to do two rounds, but you can do more rounds if you have the time.

1. Single-arm bent-over row

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Engage your core muscles, hinge from the hips and lean your torso forward until your back is nearly parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze your right shoulder blade and pull the dumbbell toward your hip.
• Pause briefly when the dumbbell is near your hip.
• Lower the dumbbell with control.
• Complete all the repetitions, then repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Use your other hand to brace yourself on a chair, table, or other solid surface. You can also place one foot in front of the other and place your hand on your thigh for support. Avoid rounding your spine or allowing your lower back to arch excessively. Relax the shoulders and keep the elbow close to your body as you lift the dumbbell.

2. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell by one of its ends with both hands.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Pause briefly.
• Push through your heels to stand.

Trainer tips: Push your hips back before bending the knees. If you’re a beginner, place a chair behind you and aim your hips towards the seat. Keep your spine straight and avoid leaning forward excessively. If you are leaning forward, use a lighter weight or practice the move without a dumbbell. Don’t let your knees cave in as you stand up, and keep your heels on the floor throughout the movement.

3. Dumbbell halo

Reps: 10 each direction

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell by each end in front of your chest.
• Engage your core muscles and move the dumbbell towards your right shoulder.
• Circle the dumbbell behind your head, bringing it to your left shoulder.
• Bring the dumbbell back to your chest.
• Continue circling the dumbbell in this direction 10 times, then repeat in the other direction.

Trainer tips: Keep the dumbbell as close to your body as possible. Avoid letting your elbows splay out to the side as you take the dumbbell behind your head. Keep your core engaged throughout.

4. Dumbbell woodchop

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the shaft of a dumbbell in both hands.
• Engage your core muscles, hinge at the hips slightly as you bring the dumbbell to the outside of your left hip.
• Drive your hips forward and swing the dumbbell above your right shoulder.
• Hinge your hips behind you as you bring the dumbbell back to the left hip.
• Continue for 10 repetitions, then repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Stay in control of the movement at all times, and avoid letting momentum take over. Keep your spine straight and don’t let your back round or arch excessively.

You’ve probably heard about the importance of lifting weights as you get older, because it’s a fantastic way to future-proof your muscles, bones and joints.

However, there are some good reasons why you might not feel confident with weights right now. Perhaps you’re recovering from an injury, haven’t exercised in a while, or don’t want to pay for a gym membership or invest in bulky equipment.

Jill Brown is a 59-year-old board-certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer and Pilates instructor and, as you’d expect, she’s seriously fit. As she revealed in her workout diary, she says that lifting heavy weights is no longer part of her routine.

“I don’t lift heavy because of injuries,” Brown tells Fit&Well. “There’s plenty of research that shows that muscle grows just as well with lighter to moderate weights.”

But if you’re going to use a light weight, something else needs to increase to make sure your body is challenged enough to respond by building muscle. Brown does this with reps.

“I’m a fan of 20 reps,” Brown says. “When you're doing high reps, your heart rate stays up, which means you burn more calories.”

However, she doesn’t recommend that beginners start this high. “For a beginner, start at six to eight reps and work your way up,” she suggests.

“Start wherever you are—see how many you can do. Write down that number, and then the following week, add some more,” Brown advises. “If you can do a plank for 20 seconds, great. Do 20 seconds for the first week. Then the next week, 25 seconds. Then the next week, 30 seconds.”

Below, Brown shares the 30-minute workout she recommends for anyone getting started with strength training. She suggests starting by doing as many reps of each move as you can do with good form, and increasing your reps incrementally each week.

You will need a long loop and short loop resistance band for this workout. Here are a couple of options from Theraband.

Jill Brown’s 30-minute resistance band workout

1. Squat

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet around shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, keeping your chest upright.
• Push through your feet to return to standing.
• To make this more challenging, place a resistance band just above your knees and gently press your knees out against the band as you move.

2. Lunge

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8 each side

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Take a big step forward with one foot, then bend both knees until you tap your back knee on the floor, keeping your front knee tracking over your toes and your torso upright.
• Push through your front foot to step back to the starting position.

3. Banded bent-over row

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and place a long resistance band underneath your feet.
• Engage your core.
• With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward from your hips and push your butt back, keeping your back straight.
• Take hold of the band in both hands, with your hands hip-width apart and tension in the band between your feet and your hands—this is your starting position.
• Pull the band towards your lower ribs, bending your elbows and drawing them past your torso, gently squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
• Slowly extend your arms to return to the starting position.

4. Banded lat pull

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Hold a resistance band overhead with your arms extended and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with a small amount of tension in the band.
• Pull your hands apart as you bring the band down towards your upper chest, bending the arms and drawing your shoulder blades down and back.
• Slowly extend your arms overhead, keeping tension in the band as you return to the starting position.

5. Child’s pose to kneeling push-up

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Kneel with your butt resting on your heels, your knees hip-width apart, your arms extended forward, and your palms and forehead resting on the floor—this is child’s pose.
• Move your body forward and up so your arms are extended.
• Once your shoulders are directly above your hands, bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
• Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to child’s pose, moving your butt back to touch your heels.

6. Banded floor press

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

• Lie on your back with a resistance band wrapped underneath your upper back, holding the ends with your elbows bent and upper arms resting on the floor.
• Brace your core and extend your arms straight up.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your arms back towards the floor with control, keeping tension in the band.

I’m always looking for ways to build more movement into my day, especially when I’m spending hours at my desk.

That’s why an idea shared by personal trainer Kate Rowe-Ham on Instagram struck a chord: simply leave a pair of weights at the bottom of the stairs and carry them up whenever you go upstairs, then bring them back down on your next trip.

She credits nutrition consultant Laurel Seabrook with the idea, who did the same thing with a 25lb kettlebell.

Without setting aside time for a workout, you’ve added several farmer’s carries to your day.

I rarely go upstairs when I’m working, so I adapted the idea and moved my weights between rooms.

For two weeks, I carried two 22lb (10kg) dumbbells between my desk in the kitchen and the living room.

Whenever I had a task that took me from one room to the other, I carted over the weights and took them back again.

Here’s what I noticed.

1. It eased my tech neck and I stood taller

I often find myself hunching over my phone or laptop for long periods, with a stiff neck to show for it.

Carrying the dumbbells from room to room gave me a reason to take a desk break, walk tall, and engage my core.

Doing that several times a day made me more aware of my poor posture and how I was holding myself—so I was more likely to adjust when I got back to my desk.

By the end of the two weeks, my neck felt less stiff and I felt taller and stronger.

I can’t say the carries alone were responsible, but the short breaks from sitting felt good and made me more conscious of my posture.

2. My grip felt stronger

Holding the dumbbells on every trip gave my hands and forearms more of a workout than I expected.

By the end of the first week, the weights felt easier to carry, and by week two, I noticed I could manage a couple more reps than usual in exercises where my grip usually tires first, like the wood chop.

It’s a small change, but one I could feel during my workouts.

I noticed the change outside my workouts, too. Heavy grocery bags felt easier to carry, and I seemed to be dropping things less often.

3. I could hold a side plank for longer

A farmer’s carry makes your obliques—the muscles along the sides of your torso—work to keep you steady as you walk, with a single-arm farmer's carry being the ultimate for oblique activation.

One way of testing for improvements is to see whether my side plank endurance changed during this two-week experiment. I timed a hold on day one and managed 1 minute 33 seconds.

At the end of the two weeks, I held the side plank for 1 minute 48 seconds. That’s 15 seconds longer, and I felt noticeably steadier, with less shaking than on my first attempt.

One test can’t tell me how much of that improvement came solely from carrying the dumbbells, but as I've enjoyed fitting these little bursts of movement into my day, I’m going to keep it up.

I might even add in some single-arm carries and see how I progress over time.

There’s a $10 piece of fitness equipment I regularly recommend to my personal training customers who want a stronger core and glutes: sliders.

These small round discs might not look particularly challenging, but they introduce instability and resistance to your workout. They force your muscles to work extra hard as you control the slider away from your body and back again.

Take a mountain climber. When you perform this move with a slider, it switches on deep core muscles, along with your obliques (side abs) and trunk stabilizers, as they work to keep your central body steady while you control the slider.

You can use them in glutes-focused exercises, too, like lateral lunges, balancing on one leg while you slide the other one out to the side and back. Controlling the sliding leg in both directions slows the exercise down, increasing the time your muscles spend under tension.

Here’s a beginner-friendly slider workout that I give my clients.

The moves

Do each move for 10 repetitions per side then take 30 seconds rest. Aim for two full sets with one minute recovery in between.

• Mountain climber
• Lateral lunge
• High plank jack step
• Step back
• Glute bridge heel slide

How to do the moves

1. Mountain climber

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 per leg

• Start in a high plank with your hands and toes on the floor and your body in a straight line. Position a slider under each foot.
• Engage your core and slide your right knee towards your chest.
• Extend your leg back to the starting position then slide your left knee towards your chest.
• Move slowly and keep your hips level.

2. Lateral lunge

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 per leg

• Stand with your right foot on a slider.
• Bend your left knee and push your hips back as you slide the right foot out to the side.
• Press through your left foot and squeeze your glute to return to standing.
• Repeat 10 times then switch legs.

3. High plank step jack

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 per leg

• Start in a high plank position, with your hands and feet on the floor and your body in a straight line. Position a slider under each foot.
• Keep your core braced and hips steady as you slowly slide your right foot out to the side, then back to the starting position.
• Slide the left foot out to the side and back.

4. Step back

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 per leg

• Stand with a slider under each foot.
• Bend your left knee as you slide your right leg backwards.
• Press through your left foot and squeeze your glutes to slide your right foot forward.
• Alternate legs and repeat 10 times per side.

5. Glute bridge heel slide

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 per leg

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and a slider under each foot.
• Lift your hips to get into a glute bridge, holding a straight line from your knees to your head.
• Staying in the glute bridge, slowly slide your right heel away until your leg is almost straight then pull it back in.
• Alternate sides, completing 10 repetitions per leg. Keep your pelvis level and don’t let your hips sag.

Once the sole preserve of the studio, the Pilates reformer has found its way into homes, with mini Pilates boards, full-spec reformers and everything in between available to buy.

But the Cadillac Pilates machine, another piece of equipment patented in the early 1950s by Joseph Pilates, looks set to stay (mostly) in the studio due to its size.

The apparatus resembles a four-poster bed with adjustable springs, bars and straps. Because the attachments can provide assistance, as well as the resistance you’d expect from a reformer bed, it’s especially well suited to rehabilitation (I first encountered it when rehabbing a torn ACL) and Pilates newcomers.

“The combination of support and resistance it provides is exactly what makes it so effective and approachable for people new to Pilates or coming back from an injury,” says Daisy Zhang, founder and instructor of Mind Pilates, which has two locations in New York City.

If you can’t get to NYC, or another studio with Cadillac Pilates, Zhang has designed a five-move workout just for you that recreates most of its benefits using just a mat and a resistance band.

“Each move in this routine is the mat version of an exercise I teach on the Cadillac or reformer, chosen to train the same qualities at home,” Zhang says.

It’s a reminder, Zhang adds, that you don’t always need access to expensive equipment or classes to benefit from this form of exercise.

“I love Pilates because it’s not just about physical fitness,” Zhang says. “It helps you connect deeply with your body, breath and mind. It brings strength, clarity and confidence from the inside out, and I love seeing that transformation in my clients too.”

How to do this Pilates workout for beginners

Perform the first four moves (labeled 1A to 1D) one after the other to complete one round.

Beginners can start with a single round, building up to two or three rounds in total as your strength improves and the movements start to feel more familiar.

Finish the workout with one set of the standing roll-down.

“Move through the four exercises slowly and keep the emphasis on control and alignment. If a movement feels unstable, use a wall or chair for support,” Zhang advises.

“Aim for two to three sessions a week on non-consecutive days. Consistency over a few weeks matters more than intensity in any one session,” Zhang says.

1A. Pelvic bridge

Rounds: 1-3 Reps: 8-10

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart, and your arms resting by your sides.
• Press through your heels and lift your hips, peeling your spine off the mat one vertebra at a time.
• Hold at the top for the count of two, then roll back down slowly for three counts.

Tip: Focus on peeling the spine off the mat rather than thrusting your hips up.

Zhang says: “On the Cadillac, you’d perform this move by pressing through the feet against spring resistance while peeling the spine up one vertebra at a time. It builds the glutes and spinal mobility that translates to better posture and less back pain.”

1B. Bodyweight squat

Rounds: 1-3 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip- to shoulder-width apart, toes turned very slightly out.
• Sit your hips back and down as if lowering into a chair, keeping your chest lifted and your knees tracking in-line with your toes.
• Press through your whole foot to stand back up.

Tip: Without the machine’s support, go slow and keep your knees in-line with your toes rather than letting them collapse inward.

Zhang says: “Footwork on the Cadillac builds the lower-body strength you use to get out of a chair, climb stairs, and walk. On the machine, the carriage keeps your spine supported. On the mat you supply that control yourself.”

1C. Step-back lunge

Rounds: 1-3 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand tall with a wall or sturdy chair within reach.
• Step one foot back, placing the ball of your foot on the floor.
• Bend both knees to lower until both knees are bent to 90˚.
• Press through your front foot to rise.

Tip: Use a wall or chair for balance support whenever you need it.

Zhang says: “The standing leg press on the Cadillac trains balance, hip stability and single-leg strength, which are crucial for fall prevention and everyday steadiness.”

1D. Banded row

Rounds: 1-3 Reps: 8-10

• Sit tall on the mat with your legs extended in front of you and a resistance band looped around your feet, holding the other end in both hands. (Depending on the type of band you have, you may need to raise your leg, as in the video.)
• Pull the band toward your ribcage, moving your elbows out to the sides.
• Extend your arms with control to return to the starting position.

Tip: Power the movement with your back muscles, not your arms.

Zhang says: “Rowing movements on the Cadillac open the chest and strengthen the upper back, retraining the rounded shoulders and forward-head posture that comes from sitting and looking at phones all day.”

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2. Standing roll-down

Sets: 1 Reps: 5-8

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms relaxed.
• Inhale to lengthen your spine, lifting the crown of your head.
• Exhale as you slowly round forward, dropping one vertebra at a time and letting your arms hang heavy.
• Pause at the bottom for two full breaths, then roll back up to standing, stacking your spine from the base up.

Tip: Let your head and arms be heavy and move from the spine. This is the cool-down, so take your time.

Zhang says: “Breathing efficiency and spinal mobility are two of the first things that decline as we age, so it’s important to practice both regularly. On the Cadillac, you’d hold a spring-loaded bar and let your breath guide a slow, articulated roll-down and up. On the mat you keep the same spinal articulation and breath pattern, just without the bar.”

Finding the time to walk can be a challenge, even though I know taking more than 8,000 steps a day is associated with a longer, healthier lifespan. I have limited free time, I usually travel by bike rather than on foot, and I do most of my work from home.

My saving grace? Because I write about exercise, I’ve tested some of the most popular walking workouts on YouTube, so I often do one when I want to increase my step count.

This 8,000-step one below, created by YouTube fitness creator Eleni Fit, requires a reasonable time commitment—it lasts an hour—but if you can fit it into your day, I think it’s worth it. One of the biggest advantages is that you don’t have to rely on good weather to get moving. All you need is enough room to move safely.

Eleni Fit’s 8,000-step workout

My experience with this 8,000-step workout

Here’s what I discovered after trying it out.

I felt less stiff

I have a bad habit of slouching at my desk or sitting on one foot, and I’m not very good at taking regular movement breaks. By lunchtime, I often feel stiff and achy. One thing I loved about Eleni’s walking workout was how much it eased the stiffness in my joints and muscles.

You start with a quick three-minute warm-up before moving into the fast main workout. You perform each exercise for 60 seconds, while a preview in the top-left corner of the screen shows you which move is coming next.

Eleni keeps you moving throughout and incorporates plenty of arm movements, so it involves much more than simply marching on the spot. Some of the more complex combinations also challenge your balance and coordination, including marching while clapping under each raised leg and combining a side crunch and leg tap.

By the end, my hips, knees, ankles and shoulders all felt less stiff. It was such a relief I made a promise to myself to stop sitting on my feet and sabotaging my posture while working.

I was more alert

A choreographed walking workout combines physical activity with a mental challenge. The movement woke up my body, while learning and remembering the unfamiliar step patterns placed different challenges on my attention, memory and coordination than my usual deskbound work.

Together, this gave me a much-needed afternoon reset. I felt more alert for the rest of the day, didn’t need my usual 3pm double espresso and found it easier to return to my work without procrastinating as much as usual.

I was less stressed

I love how you can begin a workout feeling one way and finish feeling totally different. At the start, I’m often stressed, short on time, and not particularly motivated—especially when faced with a full hour of exercise.

But Eleni’s workout seemed to pass surprisingly quickly. Because the moves aren’t repeated, I was constantly concentrating on what came next and trying to master the choreography. That focus gave me a break from the worries that had been whirling around my head. By the end of the workout, I felt calmer and my mood had noticeably lifted.

If you’re over 30, it’s time to start thinking about your posture. According to physical therapist Odalisse Figueroa, this is when our structural alignment starts to change.

“As we age, the discs in our spine lose water content, causing our spine to compress. Bones also weaken, and muscle mass decreases by about 3 to 5% per decade starting at age 30. These changes can decrease our body’s ability to hold itself upright.”

Regularly hunching over laptops and phones can contribute to poor posture, too—but it’s possible to reverse some of this damage with the right exercises.

Figueroa recommends repeating the four moves below three times a week, to strengthen postural muscles in your back, pelvis and upper body.

How to do the workout

The moves are:

1. Pelvic tilt
2. Bird dog
3. Banded row
4. Side plank

You’ll need a moderately heavy resistance band and an exercise mat for the routine.

Start with one set of 10 repetitions (reps) for the pelvic tilts, bird dogs, and banded rows, and try holding the side plank for 15 seconds on each side.

As you build strength, increase your reps to 12-15 and your side plank time to 30 seconds. Eventually, you’ll aim to do 2-3 sets of each exercise about 3 times per week.

1. Pelvic tilt

Reps: 12-15 Sets: 3

• Lie down with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core, drawing your belly button towards your spine.
• Gently tilt your pelvis, flattening your lower back against the floor.
• Hold for a few seconds.
• Return to the starting position.

Therapist tips: “Think about pushing your spine down toward the floor, holding for a few seconds, and then returning to a neutral position.”

2. Bird dog

Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3

• Start on your hands and knees, with your core engaged.
• Reach your right arm in front of you and extend your left leg behind, keeping your hips square to the mat.
• Pause briefly.
• Return to the starting position.
• Reach your left arm in front of you and extend your right leg behind you, keeping your hips square to the mat.
• Pause briefly.
• Return to the starting position.

Therapist tips: “This is all about maintaining spinal alignment, “ says Figueroa. “Before moving, brace your core by drawing your belly button in toward your spine. When extending the opposite arm and leg, try to prevent your hips from rotating or your back from arching.”

3. Banded row

Reps: 10-15 Sets: 3

• Loop a resistance band around a strong anchor point, like a stair railing.
• Take the ends of the band and step back from the anchor point until the band is taut.
• Engage your core and stand upright.
• Pull the ends of the band towards you, squeezing your shoulder blades as you pull.
• Pause briefly.
• Extend your arms in front of you.

Therapist tips: “A lot of people pull from their biceps or shoulders, but before moving the arms, start by retracting your shoulder blades first,” Figueroa advises. “Then, pull your elbows in toward your body as you continue to squeeze your shoulder blades together. For better muscle control, slowly release the band rather than letting it snap back into place.”

4. Side plank

• Lie on your left side with legs extended.
• Place your left elbow underneath your shoulder.
• Engage your core and lift your hips off the mat.
• Hold for 15 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side.

Therapist tips: “Position your elbow directly under your shoulder to protect the upper body,” says Figueroa.

“Maintain one straight line from your head to your feet, and avoid letting your hips sag. This can be modified by bending both knees and keeping your knees and feet down while lifting your hips off the ground.”

I was chatting recently with a lovely personal training client of mine about what she wanted to work on in her new fitness plan, and she asked if I could include some back-strengthening exercises. She spends long hours at her desk and often holds a lot of stress in her upper body.

If, like my client, you spend long periods sitting at a desk, you probably notice your back and shoulders feeling stiff or fatigued from staying in the same position. And if you’re not doing much strength training outside work, the muscles that support your back may have begun to weaken as you get older.

Strength training isn’t a cure-all for back pain or stress-related tension, but combined with regular desk breaks, movement snacks and mobility work, strengthening your back muscles can improve postural control and make everyday movements such as lifting, bending and carrying easier.

If you think you may benefit from a stronger back, I’ve created a simple five-move workout that can help. It’s designed to be done at home, although you will need, at a minimum, one dumbbell.

How to do this home back workout

This is a circuit workout.

Perform an exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, then move on to the next exercise. Once you have performed all five exercises, you have completed one round. Perform two rounds in total.

You will need a single dumbbell for the pullover and you can add light weights to the other exercises to make it harder—but only after you have nailed the right form.

Here are the five exercises.

1. Quadruped arm raise
2. Prone Y-raise
3. Prone reverse fly
4. Prone W-raise
5. Dumbbell pullover

Here’s how to do each move.

1. Quadruped arm raise

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Get on your hands and knees, with your knees directly under your hips and your wrists directly under your shoulders.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your right arm to horizontal with your palm facing down.
• Return to the start with control, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it harder: Hold light dumbbells, or for a greater core challenge, perform the arm raise from a high plank position.

2. Prone Y-raise

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie face down on a mat with your arms extended diagonally overhead to form the shape of the letter Y, with your thumbs pointing up.
• Engage your coe.
• Lift your arms, moving with control and reaching your hands forward rather than just lifting as high as you can.
• Lower with control.

Make it harder: Hold a very light dumbbell in each hand, but only if you can maintain the same controlled form.

3. Prone reverse fly

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie face down on the mat with your arms extended out to the sides, with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your arms, squeezing your shoulder blades together, keeping your neck extended and your shoulders away from your ears.
• Lower with control.

Make it harder: Hold a very light dumbbell in each hand, but only if you can maintain the same controlled form.

4. Prone W-raise

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie face down on the mat with your arms out to the sides and your elbows bent to create a W-shape.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your arms and hands slightly from the floor while drawing your shoulder blades back and down—imagine you are moving your shoulder blades into the back pockets of your jeans.
• Pause, then lower with control.

5. Dumbbell pullover

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding one dumbbell in both hands above your chest, with your arms extended and a slight bend in your elbows.
• Engage your core.
• Carefully lower the weight behind your head as far as you can comfortably control without your lower back arching away from the mat—you do not need the dumbbell to touch the floor.
• Lift the weight back to the start.

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Until my late-30s, lifting weights had never crossed my mind. I didn’t own dumbbells and when I had a gym pass I used it solely for swimming and classes. I was apprehensive of the weights section, had no idea how to use the equipment, and was far too self-conscious to pick them up for fear of doing it wrong or looking silly.

But in the last few years, a lot of people I know started to lift weights, and I read article after article listing the benefits of strength training for women, from enhanced bone density to improved metabolism.

I decided I needed to give it a try and my editor suggested I try Peloton’s strength training program so I could begin in the comfort (and privacy) of my own home.

Raring to go, I set myself up at home with three sets of dumbbells: light (2.3kg each), medium (4.5kg each) and heavy (6.8kg each). I then downloaded the Peloton app and decided on Joslyn Thompson Rule’s Discover Strength programme, which schedules three sessions a week for six weeks.

Here’s how I got on.

Weeks 1-2

I was thankful that the first few sessions didn’t push me too much, so I wasn’t put off continuing by sore muscles. To a background of uplifting music, Joslyn talked me though the importance of breathing during lifting, plus how to breathe into the different reps.

I didn’t feel like I was working especially hard at times, but luckily the Peloton app told me how many calories I had burned and which muscles I’d trained.

The mobility sessions covered plenty of stretching and included practising the beginning stages of a push-up. It was enlightening to see how mobility informs technique and Thompson Rule is also great at getting across the why along with how.

While I’m not used to following workouts on my phone, it was handy to be able to move the phone around the mat and change angles depending on the move and where my gaze naturally went.

The other advantage of using my phone was that, towards the end of the first week, the weather improved, so I was able to move my mat outside and exercise in the sunshine.

Things stepped up in the second week, but at a manageable pace. Thompson-Rule built on exercises she taught in the first week, such as progressing the bear plank by lifting one hand off the floor at a time, challenging me to maintain the position with three points of contact with the floor, rather than four.

It was gratifying that exercises like side planks and goblet squats were becoming more familiar, and I didn’t have to look at the screen to copy every pose. Just a couple of weeks ago I didn’t have a clue what those terms even meant!

Weeks 3-4

Weights began to be incorporated in week three as we continued to build on what we learnt in the first fortnight. The intensity certainly went up another notch and I found myself breaking out in a sweat and getting out of breath.

The sessions were divided into a series of blocks, such as a combination of renegade rows, half goblet squats and forearm side planks.

By now I had learned that I had to embrace the chaos of my home life to work out regularly. To begin with, I tried to carve out a quiet and clutter-free space, but with a partner working from home and a young child on school holidays, solitude and tidiness just wasn’t part of the equation.

Instead, I accepted practicing planks while my child threw a ball over me, or perfected my goblet squats in the space between the washing line and the paddling pool.

In week four, as we finished phase one of the program and started phase two, the workouts increased from 20 to 30 minutes. Using a combination of light, medium and heavy weights, I noticed that for the first time it felt like a whole-body workout, and I enjoyed an invigorating whoosh of endorphins during and after each session.

It was around this point that I finally felt like I was making progress. For the first few weeks of the program, I had itchy feet and was desperate to see immediate muscle or proof that what I was doing was working, but from week four many of the moves became second nature to me, and I was able to hold them for longer or use heavier weights.

Weeks 5-6

As the workouts increased to 30 minutes, the warm-ups became more involved, and Thompson-Rule took time to explain the importance of rest to make sure the strength gains were realised. It was refreshing to get this balanced view and not just be told to push harder.

Thompson-Rule also introduced new movements designed to improve balance and stability, such as the single-arm reverse fly. While this was a challenge, it was a confidence boost to be able to quickly learn an exercise.

The final week was the hardest of all, with Thompson-Rule giving the option to use heavy weights for familiar moves. It was testing, but I did it—which was a fantastic feeling.

I’ve loved following this program. While I was impatient to see improvements at first, I feel so much stronger now, and confident to continue. I can now plank, and know the difference between a goblet squat and a Romanian deadlift.

Strength training is now firmly part of my exercise routine and I can’t see myself stopping—the endorphin release is just too addictive!

One of the most interesting aspects of my job is learning what inspires fitness professionals.

You may be surprised to hear it’s rarely aesthetics.

This is certainly true of Liz Heikkila, a personal trainer at Life Time Minnetonka.

She cares for elderly relatives—her 95-year-old grandma and 75-year-old autistic and physically disabled aunt—and is an active mom herself. Her passion is helping people start—or start over—with fitness.

“I have loved helping keep my family moving and active in all stages,” she says.

She uses the following lower-body exercises with her elderly family members, helping them build the strength and endurance they need to stay mobile and active.

1. Sit-to-stand
2. Seated march
3. Calf raise
4. Hamstring curl
5. Hip half circle

Here’s how to do them.

1. Sit-to-stand

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 Rest: 2min

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a chair right behind you and your hands clasped in front of your chest.
• Push your buttocks back and bend your knees to lower yourself into the seat, keeping your knees in line with your ankles and your chest facing forward.
• When your buttocks tap the chair seat, push through your heels to stand.

Make it harder: Hold a weight at your chest, keeping your spine and chest upright.

2. Seated march

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 1min

How to do it:

• Sit on a chair with your feet hip-width apart.
• Raise your right knee and lower with control.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it harder: Place a light resistance band around your foot arches to increase the resistance.

3. Calf raise

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Rest: 1min

How to do it:

• Stand facing a counter or sturdy surface with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands on the surface for support.
• Press into the balls of your feet and raise your heels.
• Pause at the top of the movement.
• Lower slowly with control.

4. Hamstring curl

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 1min

• Stand facing a counter or sturdy surface with your feet hip-distance apart and your hands on the surface for support.
• Shift your weight onto your right foot.
• Bend your left knee to raise your heel behind you toward your butt.
• Hold for a moment, then extend your left knee to lower your foot.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Hip half circle

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 1min

• Sit on a chair with your feet close together.
• Raise your right knee and rotate it out to the right, moving from your hip, creating a semicircle in the air with your knee.
• Lower your right foot to the floor, then reverse the movement back to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Ben Bruno is a trainer for boldface names like Jessica Biel, Chelsea Handler and Kate Upton, but his “model student” isn’t any one of these celebrities.

According to a recent Instagram post that Bruno shared, it’s his mother-in-law, Tracey, who he started training three years ago.

She had been diagnosed with osteopenia and was dealing with significant shoulder and lower-back pain. At that point, she’d never lifted weights before.

Bruno put together a workout to help her build strength and improve her health, but she couldn’t do any of it.

Bruno says this experience was one of the reasons he designed his beginner strength training guide (available to buy at benbruno.com), so Tracey and his mother had something they could do safely.

Since then, Tracey has progressed from using 5lb to 20lb dumbbells, just by sticking to a set of exercises she knows she can do safely, and gradually increasing the weights she uses.

Tracey now lifts weights for 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week, and is pain-free. It goes to show that strength training doesn’t have to be complicated—you can experience life-changing benefits just by consistently showing up and challenging your muscles with progressive, strength-building exercise.

The beginner-friendly dumbbell workout Ben Bruno created for his mother-in-law

We love this full-body workout and if you’re confident performing all the movements, it’s a routine you could rely on for years to come, as long as you keep increasing the challenge as you get stronger.

But it’s not the only option available to you. You’ll find plenty of accessible alternatives, including in our beginner strength training plan, which has three full-body dumbbell workouts.

Getting in-person coaching is also advisable when you’re starting out, so you can learn how to perform each movement safely.

Here’s some more information on how to perform the workout Bruno shared.

1A. Squat

Sets: 2 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing out slightly.
• Engage your core.
• Push your butt back and bend your knees to lower.
• Push through your feet to stand upright.

In the video: You’ll see Tracey hold a dumbbell by her chest, which is a good way to increase the challenge once you’re comfortable with the unweighted movement. She also taps her butt on the seat of a couch, which can help ensure you’re lowering to a consistent depth. She also has a small looped resistance band around her legs. Pushing out against the band is a good way to make sure your knees don’t cave in as you perform the squat.

1B. Single-arm row

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10 each side

How to do it:

• Stand with your right foot in front of the left, holding a dumbbell in your left hand.
• Hinge forward from your hips and place your right hand on something sturdy, like the armrest of a couch.
• Lift the weight towards your hip, bending your elbow and drawing it past your torso.
• Lower the weight slowly and with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

2A. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 2 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs.
• Push your hips backwards while keeping your back straight, lowering the dumbbells down your legs.
• Push your hips forwards to stand upright.

2B. Bridge-position press

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells either side of your chest, with your palms facing your feet and your upper arms resting on the floor.
• Push through your feet to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees—this is your starting position.
• Press the dumbbells straight up.
• Lower with control.

3A. Reverse lunge

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 each side

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower until your right knee is just above the floor—your left knee should be directly above your left ankle.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.

In the video: Tracey holds on to a long foam roller in one hand to keep her stable and a dumbbell in the other to increase the challenge.

3B. “Elbows out” triceps extension

Sets: 2 Reps: 12-15

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding dumbbells above your chest with your arms extended.
• Bend your elbows and move them out to the side to lower the dumbbells to your chest.
• Extend your arms to lift the dumbbells back to the starting position.

3C. Plank

Sets: 2 Time: 1min

• Lie on your front, propped up on your forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your hips so your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Hold the position without letting your hips drop or rise, breathing steadily throughout.

For the past few months, I’ve been waking up with stiff joints. I don’t know whether this is just one of the many perimenopause symptoms I have to get used to or simply a sign of getting older (I’m fast approaching 50).

Either way, I usually feel better once I start moving, so I created a quick mobility flow to do before beginning my day. It takes just five minutes and you can even do it in your pajamas. I also find it a relaxing way to wind down, so I’ve started doing it before bed, too.

Mobility exercises can be particularly helpful in the morning, after your body has spent hours relatively still during sleep. Gently moving your joints through a comfortable range of motion warms the surrounding muscles and connective tissues, encourages circulation and helps distribute synovial fluid which lubricates your joints. This can help your body feel looser and your movements more comfortable and coordinated.

In the mobility flow below, you’ll perform six moves, one after another. Complete the circuit once, or repeat it if you have more time. I may not spring out of bed quite as easily as I did in my 20s, but this routine is definitely helping me start the day feeling more flexible.

How to do the five-minute mobility routine

1. Arm twist and neck turn
2. Arm circles
3. Standing cat-cow
4. Windmill
5. Hip opener
6. Squat to heel raise

Complete each move for 45 seconds, allowing five seconds to transition to the next exercise. Perform one full circuit—or repeat it twice if you have more time.

1. Arm twist and neck turn

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and extend both arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
• Hold your left arm so your palm faces down, rotate your right arm so your palm faces up and gently turn your head to face right.
• Rotate your arms so your right palm faces down and your left palm faces up, and turn your head smoothly so you look left.
• Continue, alternating sides in a smooth, controlled rhythm.

2. Arm circles

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and extend both arms out to the sides at shoulder height.
• Circle both arms backwards, gradually making the circles larger.
• Change direction halfway through, keeping your shoulders relaxed and your movements controlled.

3. Standing cat-cow

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, soften your knees, hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on your thighs.
• Round your spine, tuck your pelvis and drop your chin towards your chest.
• Arch your back, press your chest forwards, draw your shoulders back and gently lift your head.
• Flow slowly between the two positions.

4. Windmill

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
• Lift your arms to waist height and rotate your torso to the right, letting your arms swing loosely, and moving your head so your eyes follow the direction of the turn.
• Rotate your torso to the left, letting your arms swing loosely.
• Continue, rotating from side to side, keeping the movement relaxed but increasing the movement of your arms and letting your right heel lift as you rotate left, and vice versa.

5. Hip opener

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips (or hold on to a chair or other sturdy surface for balance if needed).
• Lift and bend one knee in front of you, then rotate it out to the side, moving from your hip, then lower your foot back to the floor.
• Repeat with the other leg, Alternate legs, keeping your torso upright.
• Reverse the movement halfway through by lifting each knee out to the side and circling it back to the front.

6. Squat to heel raise

Time: 45sec Rest/transition: 5sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and turn your toes out slightly.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, reaching your hands towards the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand upright, sweep your arms out to the sides and lift both heels to rise onto your toes.
• Lower your heels to the floor with control.

When I’m feeling tired, exercise is often the last thing I feel like doing. But it’s at those times that a quick cardio workout can give me a much-needed energy boost.

That doesn’t mean jumping around to work up a sweat. I haven’t been a fan of high-impact workouts since having children—my pelvic floor isn’t what it was—and my knees don’t appreciate the extra strain either.

Instead, I turn to the low-impact workout below. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy simply because there’s no jumping. In just 15 minutes, it works your whole body, raises your heart rate and can leave you feeling more energized.

15-minute low-impact cardio workout overview

1. Standing abs crunch
2. Squat tap
3. Standing double crunch
4. Step jack
5. Squat to calf raise

How to do this workout

Perform this workout as a circuit, performing each exercise for 40 seconds, one after the other, to complete one round. Rest for 15 seconds between exercises and for one minute between rounds.

Complete three sets of the five exercises—40 seconds per exercise, 15 seconds rest between exercises and one minute rest between sets.

How to do the exercises

1. Standing abs crunch

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms raised overhead.
• Engage your core.
• Raise and bend your right knee towards your chest as you bring your arms down, bending your elbows so they finish either side of your right knee, making sure you don’t arch your back.
• Reverse the movements to the start.
• Repeat the movement with your left knee, alternating knees with each rep.

2. Squat tap

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet close together and engage your core.
• Take a big step out to your right, then push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, leaning forward and tapping the floor with your hands.
• Reverse the movements to the start then repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

3. Standing double crunch

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your hands behind your head and your elbows pointing out to the side.
• Twist your torso to the left and lift and bend your left knee to bring your right elbow and left knee together.
• Return to the starting position.
• Bend your torso to the right and lift and bend your right knee out to the right to bring your right elbow and right knee together.
• Return to the starting position.
• Repeat the above movements on the other side.

4. Step jack

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet close together and your arms by your sides, palms facing forward.
• Step your right foot out to the side as you raise both arms out to the side and overhead, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
• Reverse the movements back to the start.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

5. Squat to calf raise

Time: 40sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand upright and rise onto your toes.
• Pause, then lower your heels to the floor and go straight into the next rep.

Tai Chi is a wonderful way to add mindful movement to your day.

The ancient practice has also been shown to significantly reduce the risk of falls in older adults.

I spoke to Mark Peters, a Tai Chi expert who has worked with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to develop Tai Chi and qigong as rehabilitative practices (and written a book on the topic), to find out more.

First, Peters asked me to rethink falling and movement as a whole.

“The only way to move is to fall, because gravity pulls us down. You fall and catch yourself,” says Peters. “A trip is when you fall, but you can’t catch yourself. A slip is when you put your foot there, but the ground isn’t solid when you push against it.”

Peters says Tai Chi teaches you to explore the space around you and put your foot ahead of you, which in time helps to improve balance, stability and movement confidence, particularly for those prone to falls.

It’s a skill many of us haven’t developed because most people walk automatically and don’t notice how we shift our weight in a space.

The movement he recommends practicing is called ice stepping or walking on thin ice, as though you’re checking the ground ahead of you as you move.

How to practice ice stepping

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Imagine you’re being pulled lightly from above—as though marionette strings are holding you up.
• Imagine that the floor beneath you is slippery and feels like thin ice.
• Extend your arms out to your sides for balance, but imagine they are held by marionette strings too.
• Reach your foot forward as though testing slippery ground.
• Skim your foot over the floor with your heel no higher than an inch off the floor. Keep your feet relaxed.
• Imagine the ice cracking under your foot, then move your foot back and forth until you find a solid place.
• Continue to explore the space around you.

Form tip: While it can be tempting to tense up on slippery surfaces (even if imagined), this will create more instability. Keep your limbs loose and relaxed. Imagining yourself suspended from strings can help you achieve a sense of lightness. Avoid pressing your weight into the floor—aim to walk lightly and loosely.

Why ice stepping helps to prevent falls

1. The exercise encourages mindful movement

Peters explains that this move is particularly effective because it encourages mindfulness and gets you to focus fully on the present moment.

“Your body is upright and your brain is absorbed in that moment, rather than worrying about the next step,” he says.

“You are present and mindful because you are sensing the ground and adjusting to it based on your imagination. Your brain is retraining.”

He adds that doing this practice regularly creates better movement habits.

He tells me that our bodies are an adaptive system and although the ice isn’t real, the body reacts as though it is and learns how to move in a more balanced way.

“You're allowing your body to learn and adapt without judgment,” says Peters.

By doing so in a safe, controlled environment, you can build the skills to prevent falls in more perilous conditions.

2. It improves your proprioception

Peters explains that every surface you touch offers feedback—when you touch a wall, you know you’ve done so because of the feedback through your hand.

Tai Chi takes this concept a step further and asks you to sense where your body is in space—improving your proprioception.

“Tai Chi helps you sense the ground before you move into it and that’s a major difference from how people usually walk,” says Peters. “We call it connecting to the ground.”

Instead of finding your balance once you have already taken a step, Tai Chi encourages you to find balance before you move.

“I use the term controlled instability, which means you place your foot there first, check the ground and if the ground is solid, then you move into it. If the ground isn’t solid, you move your foot somewhere else and then try again,” says Peters.

“This encourages you to connect with your whole body as you move.”

Last year, a woman who had never exercised joined my circuits class. She had lost 59.5lbs (27kg) with weight-loss medication Mounjaro and wanted to start strength training.

She said that everything felt “very soft” after losing weight—even sitting down was less comfortable as there was less fat—and she felt that she’d lost muscle, too.

She worried she wouldn’t make it to the end of the hour-long exercise class, but she did—and returned for two more classes that week.

That was nine months ago and since then she’s been doing three classes a week consistently. Her transformation—both physical and mental—has been wonderful to watch.

Her body shape has changed, she’s developed noticeable strength and muscle definition, and she says her back pain has reduced and she feels more confident.

Strength training is essential during and after taking GLP-1 medications because weight loss can reduce muscle mass along with fat. That’s especially detrimental if you’re in your 40s and beyond, when muscle mass and bone density are already naturally in decline.

Resistance training, coupled with a protein-rich diet, can help prevent this muscle loss and support bone health during weight loss.

That’s why I’ve created this full-body kettlebell workout to build strength, stability and overall fitness while using GLP-1s.

The centre of mass on a kettlebell sits away from your hand, creating a challenge for your muscles to keep the weight stable. You have to work harder and recruit more muscles to control the weight, making kettlebell exercises a valuable tool for building all-over functional strength and muscle.

How to do the workout

You will need a medium-heavy kettlebell for this workout and maybe a slightly lighter one for the overhead press, depending on your strength level.

Perform each exercise for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds then move on. Aim to complete three to five sets of the whole circuit.

The moves:

1. Goblet squat
2. Romanian deadlift
3. Single-arm row
4. Goblet reverse lunge
5. Single-arm overhead press

Exercise guides

1. Goblet squat

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes slightly turned out, holding a kettlebell upside down in front of your chest.
• Engage your core, and move your shoulders back and down.
• Push your hips back, bend your knees and lower your hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Drive through your heels to return to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Why: Squats strengthen major lower-body muscles—including the quads, glutes and hamstrings—which are important for maintaining strength and function during weight loss. Building these muscles can help you stay active as your body weight changes, making everyday movements such as climbing stairs and carrying groceries easier.

2. Romanian deadlift

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the kettlebell handle in both hands in front of your thighs.
• Hinge at your hips and bend your knees slightly, keeping your back flat.
• Lower the weight toward the floor, keeping it close to your legs throughout.
• Drive through your feet and push your hips forward to return to standing.

Why: The Romanian deadlift works the biggest muscle groups in your body—the glutes and hamstrings—while strengthening your posterior chain (the muscles running down the back of your body). These muscles encourage your body to maintain lean tissue during weight loss. The Romanian deadlift also improves core and back strength and stability, which can help you move more efficiently, making you more likely to stay active and mobile.

3. Single-arm row

Time: 40sec each side Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the kettlebell handle in your right hand.
• Step your right foot back, keeping your right leg straight and bending your left knee.
• Lean forward slightly over your front knee, placing your left hand on your left knee for support if needed.
• Lift the kettlebell to your ribcage, keeping your elbow close to your side.
• Lower the kettlebell to the starting position with control.
• Continue on one side for 40 seconds, then switch sides.

Why: The kettlebell single-arm row is a smart addition to a GLP-1 strength-training workout because it targets muscles that people often overlook during weight loss—the back, shoulders and arms. The row is a pulling movement pattern, and pulling a challenging weight creates what is known as mechanical tension, signalling to your body that this muscle tissue is important and should be maintained. This can help preserve muscle tissue when you are in a calorie deficit or losing weight rapidly.

4. Goblet reverse lunge

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a kettlebell upside down at your chest.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower, keeping your chest facing forward and your left knee aligned above your left ankle.
• Pause at the bottom of the movement.
• Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Why: Like the deadlift and squat, the lunge works some of the largest muscles in your body, including your glutes and quads. Building and maintaining these muscles helps you stay strong and mobile, while encouraging your body to hold on to valuable muscle.

5. Single-arm overhead press

Sets: 5 Time: 40sec each side Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the kettlebell handle in one hand in front of your shoulder.
• Engage your core.
• Press the kettlebell straight up until your arm is fully extended overhead, with your biceps close to your ear.
• Pause at the top, then slowly lower the kettlebell back to your shoulder with control.
• Continue on one side for 40 seconds, then switch sides.

Increasing the distance of your run or hike every time you work out is rarely the smartest way to become a better runner or hiker.

Best case scenario, you’ll hit a plateau where your fitness stalls. Worst case, your body will break down from overuse.

A safer bet, according to personal trainer, ultramarathon runner and realbuzz ambassador Sam Tomlinson, is to strengthen the muscles and joints that help propel you from A to B.

“Running alone can develop excellent endurance, but it rarely provides enough resistance to build the strength and control needed to tolerate higher mileage and tougher terrain,” he tells Fit&Well.

Instead, Tomlinson has come to rely on a set of common lower-body strength exercises that can be performed with a set of dumbbells and a mini band, at home or in the gym.

“I recently completed my strongest ultra to date, and being consistent with this type of leg strength work played a major part in how well my body handled the demands of the event,” he says, referring to the 100km and 6,500m elevation of Ultra-Trail Snowdonia by UTMB he covered in 26 hours.

Even if you don't have the same gargantuan challenge ahead of you, regularly performing this workout should make your lower body more resilient when you next run or hike.

The six-move workout he swears by includes bilateral exercises like squats and Romanian deadlifts that are powered by the larger muscles around the hips and thighs.

It also features unilateral moves like the reverse lunge and single-leg bridge that train the body to “repeatedly absorb and produce force through one leg at a time”.

Banded lateral walks make an appearance, strengthening muscles around the outside of your hips, which help control the position of your knee and pelvis when your foot lands, and which can become compromised with fatigue.

And the final exercise is the calf raise, given that “the calves and Achilles tendon absorb and return a large amount of force during every stride”.

Here’s how to try Tomlinson’s session yourself.

How to do this lower-body strength workout for runners

Tomlinson's six-move lower-body workout is split into three blocks of two moves each.

Perform each block three times, completing exercise A and B back to back and resting a minute or two between blocks.

Tomlinson says the full routine should take around 25 to 35 minutes and is best performed on a running rest day or after a short, easy run to keep your legs fresh.

Start off by performing it once a week, gradually increasing that to twice a week as your strength and recovery improve, while slowly increasing the weights to ensure progression.

1A. Heel elevated goblet squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

• Hold one dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest, cupped in both hands.
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your heels on the edge of a weight plate or sturdy hardback book.
• Turn your feet slightly outward and lower into a squat to a comfortable depth.
• Keep your torso upright, resisting the pull of the weight forward.
• Drive through your heels to stand without letting your knees cave in.

Make it easier: Perform a bodyweight squat to a bench or box behind you.

Make it harder: Increase the dumbbell load or pause at the bottom of each repetition.

1B. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs and a slight bend in your knees.
• Push your hips back to lower the dumbbells, keeping them close to your legs, and your back flat and shoulders engaged.
• Pause when you feel a stretch in the back of your thighs.
• Push your hips forward as you return to standing.

Make it easier: Use one lighter dumbbell held in both hands.

Make it harder: Increase the load or perform a staggered stance Romanian deadlift with one foot back and heel slightly lifted to target one leg more than the other.

2A. Reverse lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand with your feet close and your hands on your hips for balance.
• Take a big step back with one foot and lower your back knee toward the floor.
• Keep your torso upright rather than collapsing over your front foot.
• Maintain a 90° angle in your front knee aligned over your foot.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.
• Alternate sides with each rep.

Make it easier: Hold onto a wall or stable surface for balance. Reduce the depth of how far you lower your back knee.

Make it harder: Hold dumbbells by your sides to increase the load.

2B. Single-leg calf raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 each side

• Stand beside a wall or stable surface for balance if needed.
• Raise one foot, hovering it off the floor.
• Press through the ball of your standing foot to raise your heel.
• Lower slowly to lightly tap your heel on the floor and repeat.
• Complete all reps on one side, then switch sides.

Make it easier: Perform the movement with both feet then progress to single leg.

Make it harder: Hold a dumbbell or perform the movement from the edge of a step so you increase how far your heel drops with each rep.

3A. Single-leg hip thrust

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10 each side

• Sit with a weight bench or couch behind you.
• Prop up onto your arms with your support roughly across your shoulder blades.
• Raise your left foot off the floor, moving from your hip.
• Press through your right foot to raise your hips until you form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Pause and squeeze your right glute.
• Lower your hips back to the floor with control.
• Complete all reps on one side, rest for a few breaths, then switch sides.

Make it easier: Remove the raised platform, performing a glute bridge with your shoulders on the floor instead.

Make it harder: Hold a weight across your hips or slow down the lowering phase of each rep to increase the time your muscles are under tension.

3B. Banded lateral walk

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 20-25 each side

• Stand with a mini resistance band round the balls of your feet.
• Take controlled steps to your side, avoiding your knees collapsing inward.
• Keep your feet facing forward, chest up and a slight bend in your knees.
• If space is limited, perform five reps one way, then five the other until you’ve completed all the reps.

Make it easier: Use a lighter resistance band or reduce the number of steps.

Make it harder: Use a heavier resistance band.

I struggle with any task that requires physical coordination.

Ask me to pat my head and rub my tummy, and I’ll inevitably get the actions the wrong way round. I’m also terrible at ball games, with poor aim and an inability to catch.

Why do I find it so hard?

“Coordination relies on communication between the brain, nervous system, eyes, inner ears, sensory receptors in the muscles and joints and the muscles themselves,” explains Dr Gabriela Van Sickle, a physical therapist and the co-founder of Functional Physical Therapy.

When so many systems contribute to the process, there are many opportunities for malfunction.

“Even factors such as stress, lack of sleep and dehydration can negatively affect coordination and reaction time,” adds Van Sickle.

Thankfully, coordination—like any attribute—is something that you can work on and improve.

Van Sickle recommends doing the following four exercises to boost your coordination, as the moves will help reinforce your brain-body connection.

1. Dead bug

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30-60sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Extend your arms up, reaching toward the ceiling.
• Lift your feet so your shins are parallel with the floor and your knees are over your hips.
• Brace your abdominal muscles while keeping your lower back flat against the floor and slowly lower your right arm behind you as you straighten and lower your left leg.
• Return to the starting position and repeat with the opposite arm and leg.

How to progress: As this gets easier, increase the number of repetitions.

“This exercise challenges coordination between the upper body and lower body while strengthening the core,” says Van Sickle.

“It requires the brain to control multiple body segments moving in opposite directions while maintaining trunk stability, necessary for walking and stair climbing.”

2. Bear crawl

Sets: 2-3 Duration: 20-30sec Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Start on your hands and knees, with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Keep your back flat and engage your core.
• Lift your knees an inch or two off the floor.
• Slowly move your right hand and left foot forward, followed by your left hand and right foot.
• Continue crawling forward with slow, controlled movements, breathing steadily and keeping your trunk flat. (If you run out of space, you can reverse the movement and crawl backwards.)
• After 20 to 30 seconds of work, return your knees to the floor.

How to progress: As this gets easier, increase the amount of time spent crawling.

“Bear crawls challenge whole-body coordination by requiring the arms, legs, core and nervous system to work together,” says Van Sickle.

“They involve cross-body movement patterns —right arm with left leg and vice versa—which help improve timing, body awareness, balance and motor control.”

3. Standing toe tap

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side Rest: 30-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand on your left leg with a soft bend in your knee and a straight back.
• Imagine you are standing in the center of a clock. Keeping your weight on your left leg, lightly tap your right foot to the side at approximately the three o'clock position.
• Return your working foot to the center.
• Continue tapping around the clock, reaching two o'clock, one o'clock and then 12.
• Next, reach your foot across the front of your body to tap at 11 o'clock and 10 o'clock, and nine o'clock—crossing your body’s midline.
• Complete all repetitions on one leg before switching sides.

How to progress: Try tapping your foot on all the numbers of the imagined clock, including the numbers positioned behind you.

“This exercise combines balance and coordination by challenging you to maintain stability on one leg while reaching across your body,” says Van Sickle.

“Crossing the midline requires communication between both sides of the brain and helps improve body awareness, motor control and coordination during everyday activities and sports.”

4. Standing knee drive

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart.
• Step your right foot back, extend your right arm forward and extend your left arm behind you.
• Bend your right knee and raise it in front of you, while bending your left elbow and swinging your left arm forward and right arm back.
• Pause for a moment while your right leg is raised.
• Step your right foot back again, while also returning your arms to the starting position (right arm extended forward and left arm extended behind).
• Complete all the repetitions on one side before switching sides.

How to progress: Move slowly and focus on control, rather than speed.

“This exercise combines balance, core stability and cross-body coordination,” says Van Sickle.

“Lifting one knee while reaching with the opposite arm mimics the natural movement pattern used during walking and running. It challenges the brain and body to coordinate movements across multiple joints while maintaining postural control.”

When we talk about longevity, we’re not just talking about living for longer.

“It’s about being able to carry on doing the things that give us joy and purpose into our old age,” explains Abby McLachlan, personal trainer and founder of East of Eden.

“The combination of strength and mobility is key to keeping the body moving well and feeling resilient throughout later life,” McLachlan tells Fit&Well.

“Strength and mobility training help counter natural age-related muscle loss, improve bone density, support joint stability and enhance balance. They will also boost your metabolic health, reduce fall risk, improve posture and increase overall energy,” she adds.

McLachlan’s six-exercise routine offers a strength-building workout for all abilities, with progression tips so that once you’re comfortable with the exercise, you can increase the challenge.

Try the six-move home workout for longevity

As with any workout, you’ll only notice the benefit if you do it consistently. McLachlan recommends doing this routine two to three times a week.

You will need dumbbells for two of the exercises, although you could use resistance bands instead if you don’t want to invest in dumbbells.

More importantly, you should know how to engage your core. This guide explains how.

Here’s an overview of the workout:

1. Squat: 3 x 8-12
2. Incline push-up: 3 x 8-10
3. Glute bridge: 3 x 12-15
4. Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8-12
5. Dead bug: 3 x 8-10 each side
6. Standing row: 3 x 12-15

1. Squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest facing forward and your knees tracking over your toes.
• Pause once your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as close as your mobility comfortably allows.
• Push through your heels to return to standing upright, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Benefit: Strengthens your legs, hips and core, and supports balance and everyday lifting.

How to progress: Once you are comfortable with unweighted squats and can complete three sets of 12 reps easily, add resistance. As you add extra weight, reduce the reps until you can complete every set with good form.

2. Incline push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

How to do it:

• Place your hands on a bench or countertop. (To make it easier, place your hands on a wall.)
• Step your feet back until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest towards the surface with control, keeping your body in a straight line.
• Extend your arms to push back up.

How to progress: As you get stronger, take away the bench and place your hands on the floor.

Benefit: Builds upper-body strength and supports shoulder stability.

3. Glute bridge

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Press through your feet to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Lower slowly, keeping the movement smooth and controlled.

How to progress: Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell on your pelvis as you get stronger.

Benefit: Strengthens your glutes and lower back, and supports hip stability and posture.

4. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding weights in front of your thighs.
• Hinge at your hips, pushing your butt back, sliding the dumbbells down your legs to just below your knees, keeping your spine long and a slight bend in your knees throughout.
• Push your hips forward to stand upright.

How to progress: Go as light as possible to begin with. You can start with bodyweight until you’re comfortable with the movement before adding weights.

Benefit: The hinge movement works your back muscles, hamstrings and glutes, and the rest of your posterior chain, the collection of muscles that run down the back of your body.

5. Dead bug

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your arms raised and your knees bent directly above your hips.
• Gently press your lower back into the floor to engage your core.
• Lower your left arm behind your head and lower and extend your right leg, while keeping your lower back gently pressed into the floor.
• Return to the start, then repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Benefit: Strengthens your deep core muscles and improves spinal stability.

6. Bent-over row

Sets: 3 Reps: 12-15

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, keeping your spine long and letting your arms hang down.
• Pull your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles—this is your starting position.
• Lift the dumbbells to your hips, bending and lifting your elbows past your torso, and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Reverse the movement with control to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Benefit: Strengthens your upper back and improves your posture.

kKnee pain is common among my personal training clients over 65. Whether from arthritis, overuse or old injuries, I see firsthand how limiting and debilitating knee issues can be.

To address this, there are four exercises that are mainstays for all my clients, no matter their age.

These moves are effective because they strengthen the muscles that stabilize and support the lower body, which reduces the strain on knees during movement.

They’re not only beneficial for knee health, but they’re great for improving full-body stability and balance as well.

How to do the four exercises for healthy knees

All you need is an exercise mat and a moderately-heavy looped resistance band, like this set from Amazon. Depending on your current strength level, you may need a heavier or lighter resistance band.

Start by doing one to two sets of 10 reps for each exercise. After a few sessions, increase to two or three sets and 12-15 reps. Eventually, aim to do three sets of 15 reps with a brief rest between sets. You should be able to do all reps in a set with good form without rest.

Try these moves three or four times a week on their own or as a warm-up for other workouts.

If you’re unable to get onto the floor for the banded clamshell and banded glute bridge, try the exercises on your bed or couch.

Consult a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise or workout program. These exercises are appropriate for all fitness levels, including beginners, but depending on your health history your medical team may recommend alternatives or advise you to avoid the movements.Consider meeting with a certified personal trainer or physical therapist for guidance, modifications and appropriate progressions.

1. Banded clamshell

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side

• Lie on your right side with a looped resistance band around your legs, just above your knees.
• Prop yourself up on your elbow, with your hips vertical and your knees bent at 90°.
• Engage your core.
• Raise your left knee, but keep your feet connected.
• Pause briefly at the top of the movement.
• Lower your knee back to the starting position.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Trainer tips: Avoid your hips shifting out of alignment as you raise your knee. Keep your chest leaning forwards slightly to keep your hips stable and aligned. Squeeze the outside of your hip as you lift your knee.

2. Banded glute bridge

Sets: 2 Reps: 10

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a looped resistance band around your legs, just above your knees.
• Engage your core and press your knees outward into the band.
• Raise your hips and pause briefly at the top of the movement.
• Lower your hips back to the floor.

Trainer tips: Avoid arching your lower back as you raise your hips. Keep your knees pressed against the band throughout the exercise.

3. Banded monster walk

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a looped resistance band around your ankles.
• Engage your core and press your ankles out into the band to keep it taut.
• Walk forward, pushing your foot outward into the band as you go.
• Repeat the motion walking backward.

Trainer tips: Keep your stance wide and your toes pointed forward. You should feel the muscles on the sides of your hips engage. Keep the band taut throughout the exercise.

4. Banded kickback

Sets: 2 Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart with a looped resistance band around your ankles.
• Engage your core.
• Raise your right heel behind you, squeezing your right glute.
• Pause briefly at the top of the movement.
• Lower your foot back to the starting position.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Trainer tips: Avoid arching your lower back as you kick your heel. If you have balance issues, hold onto a sturdy surface for support. Avoid externally rotating your leg as you raise your heel.

Planks are an effective way to strengthen your core, recruiting all the muscles around your stomach and lower back to stabilize and protect your pelvis and spine.

But, truth be told, they’re not much fun.

Enter, stage left, this dance-inspired 360˚ plank challenge from Les Mills group fitness presenter Bronté Terrell, certain to shake up any tired abs routine.

Terrell recently shared the short routine on her Instagram, and I couldn’t help but ask how it might be modified so anyone could give it a try—even someone as uncoordinated as me.

“That was a pretty tough plank challenge,” she admits.

“Flipping over from front to back is especially tricky. Figuring out which arm goes where.”

But, she adds, learning to perfect the choreographed routine is worth persevering with.

“We spend a lot of time wanting to keep our bodies strong and healthy, and fit and young, but doing anything that challenges those neural pathways in the brain is also so, so important for our brain health, especially as we navigate through life and get older,” says Terrell.

Watch Bronté Terrell’s dance-inspired plank challenge

Timed to music, Terrell’s plank challenge starts in a high plank. She lifts one leg, brings her knee to her elbow, then pivots to a high side plank with knee tucked.

Next she extends her arm overhead and points her toes, returns to the knee-tucked high plank, then flips 180˚ into a reverse plank with that knee still tucked, before kicking her leg into the air, a la Flashdance.

It’s fairly exhausting just typing that out, let alone attempting it.

“[When you flip round] you’re squeezing your glutes to lift your hips up high. It’s almost like a reverse plank challenge. I really felt that the next day after doing that,” she says.

“A really great way to adapt it would be to drop down to your knees, break it up into sections and really slow down the full routine,” she says.

Here’s how Terrell suggests breaking it down.

How to adapt this plank challenge for relative beginners

If you can perform a plank on your toes, start by performing each of the five moves below for five to 10 seconds. Rest 60 seconds then repeat the routine on the other side.

Once you can comfortably hold each one for 10 seconds, look to perform them back to back, again building up from five seconds per move to 10.

When you can perform all five moves for 10 seconds each, back-to-back, you should be ready to attempt the full routine.

Bonus points for filming it and tagging @wearefitandwell in your post. Good luck.

If you can’t hold a plank on your toes, start on your knees.

“Even if you start with a 10-second hold, come up onto your toes for one second, then drop back to your knees, eventually, one second becomes two seconds, and before you know it you’ve built that strength,” says Terrell.

Below are the single moves you need to master.

1. Straight arm plank

Time: 5-10sec

• Position your hands under your shoulders, feet together and engage your core.
• Keep your body aligned from shoulders to ankles, breathing normally.

2. Knee to elbow

Time: 5-10sec

• Next, without letting your hips sag, bring your left knee out to your side to touch your elbow on the same side, and hold.

3. Rotate to side plank

Time: 5-10sec

• From here, pivot to the outside of your right foot as you turn your body to the side.
• Your weight should be supported by one foot and one hand. The raised arm can be extended over the head or bent at the elbow with the hand near your ear.
• You have the option of keeping your knee tucked, leg extended or bringing your feet together into a high side plank. The easier version would be feet together.

4. Rotate to reverse plank

Time: 5-10sec

• When ready, bring your feet together into a high side plank and pivot to your heels while bringing your other hand to the floor to support your weight.
• Your chest should now face up, with your weight supported on your hands and heels.
• Keep your glutes engaged and hips high.

5. Lift one leg to single-leg reverse plank

Time: 5-10sec

• Lastly, lift your left leg off the floor, bending your knee 90˚.
• Hold this final pose without letting your hips drop.

Recently, a friend asked me how to build strength. It’s not unusual for friends to ask for training advice, but this friend is 71 years old and has decided to invest in her physical health for the years ahead. Of course, I was delighted to help.

She is absolutely correct that building strength is essential for living well as we get older and I was happy to reassure her that it’s never too late to start—you just have to train smart.

My friend plays tennis weekly but has never done any dedicated strength work—not even a squat. While her regular doubles matches are great for supporting her cardiovascular health, agility and multi-directional movement—all excellent components for longevity—she is missing other essential pieces for aging well.

To fill those gaps, I created a plan that includes strength and muscle-building movements to help combat the natural decline in muscle and bone density, which affects everyone but women in particular. I also added core and balance moves to improve stability, alongside push and pull exercises to build upper-body strength for everyday life.

The moves in this workout are useful for everyone but the versions are more suitable for beginners and those who have never exercised before. If you’re comfortable with the moves, skip to the advice on how to make them harder and work through the progressions.

How to do the bodyweight strength workout for beginners

1. Chair squat: 3 x 8-10
2. Pulse lunge: 3 x 8-10 each side
3. Wall push-up: 3 x 8-10
4. Standing march: 3 x 10-12 each side
5. Single-leg hold: 3 x 8-10 each side
6. Superman pull-down: 3 x 8-10
7. Dead bug heel tap: 3 x 8-10 each side
8. Glute bridge: 3 x 8-12

Complete three sets of each exercise, working through the moves in order. So, perform three sets of the chair squat, then move on to perform three sets of the pulse lunge, and so on.

Complete the workout two or three times a week, and keep going until you’re comfortable with the moves. Once the exercises feel easier to perform, gradually add some of the progressions I’ve included to keep challenging your body.

Here’s how to do each exercise.

1. Chair squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with a chair just behind you.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, until your butt taps the seat of the chair.
• Push through your feet to stand upright.

Make it harder: Perform a bodyweight squat without support. If you can already do a bodyweight squat, progress this further by adding a brief pause at the bottom of the squat.

2. Reverse lunge with pulse

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side; 3 pulses each rep Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Take a big step back with your right foot, and pause to find your balance.
• Bend both knees to lower until your right knee is just above the floor.
• Push through your left foot to rise halfway, then lower until your right knee is just above the floor again—perform this pulse three times in total.
• Step your right foot forward to return to the starting position.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Make it harder: Alternate sides with each rep.

3. Wall push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand an arm’s length away from a wall and place your hands on the surface at shoulder height and shoulder width.
• Engage your core and ensure your body is in a straight line from head to heels.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the wall with control.
• Pause when your head is almost touching the wall.
• Push powerfully through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

Make it harder: Lower the surface you place your hands on, such as a couch or table.

4. Standing march

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Bend and lift one knee to hip height.
• Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it harder: Slow down the march and hold briefly at the top of each knee raise to challenge your balance.

5. Single-leg hold

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Hold: 3-5sec each rep Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, lightly holding on to a chair or other sturdy object for support.
• Engage your core.
• Bend and lift one knee to hip height.
• Hold this position for three to five seconds.
• Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it harder: Remove the support and aim to raise and hold your knee higher or for longer.

6. Superman pull-down

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60-90sec

• Lie on your front with your arms extended forward.
• Engage your core and clench your glutes.
• Lift your arms and legs, keeping your gaze on the floor and your neck in a neutral position.
• Bend your elbows and move them toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Extend your arms forward.
• Continue, keeping your arms and legs raised throughout.

Make it harder: Increase how long you hold the pull as you squeeze your shoulder blades together.

7. Dead bug heel tap

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60-90sec

• Lie on your back.
• Raise and extend your arms, and raise your legs and bend your knees, so your knees and hips are both bent to 90°.
• Gently press your lower back into the floor to engage your core.
• Keeping a 90° bend in your knee throughout, lower your right leg so your right heel or toes lightly tap the floor.
• Return to the starting position, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make it harder: Lower both feet simultaneously if you can maintain contact with the floor with your lower back.

8. Glute bridge

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60-90sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms by your sides.
• Engage your core.
• Push through your feet to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Lower to the starting position with control.

Make it harder: When you can maintain stability as you hold and squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, progress to a single-leg glute bridge with control.

One of the best tricks I’ve learned for staying consistent with exercise is removing the barriers between me and my workout.

That means leaving my fitness equipment in plain sight, so I can grab it when I have a spare minute.

However, I also have two small, curious kids, which means that it’s not safe for me to leave heavy dumbbells unattended.

For that reason, I’ve started using resistance bands instead.

This is the quick workout I’ve been using for the past few weeks to hit most of my major muscles in 20 minutes or less.

All you need to try it is a long-looped resistance band (I bought this set from Amazon) and an exercise mat.

20-minute resistance band workout

1. Quadruped glute kickback: 3 x 10-15 each side
2. Bent-over row: 3 x 10-15
3. Knee push-up: 3 x 8-10
4. Kneeling overhead press: 3 x 10-12
5. Optional finisher: Squat: 3 x 30sec

Rest for 15-30 seconds between sets.

Use a lighter band if you’re new to exercising with bands, but aim for the higher end of the rep range. This will allow you to focus on getting your form right while still challenging your muscles.

On days when I have more time, I add a few sets of fast-paced squats after doing the strength exercises. I like the cardio challenge, plus it ensures that my leg muscles get more of a workout.

1. Quadruped glute kickback

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 each side Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips.
• Pin the resistance band underneath your hands and loop it under the center of your right foot.
• Engage your core.
• Slowly extend and lift your right leg, until it is in line with your torso.
• Bend your knee to return to the starting position.
• Complete all repetitions on one side before switching to the other leg.

This is a glute-focused exercise but it’s a challenge for core strength and stability, too. Focus on engaging the muscles in your mid-body before you push back with your leg, to make sure you don’t wobble.

2. Bent-over row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
• Loop one end of the resistance band underneath your feet and hold the other end in both hands.
• Engage your core.
• Keeping your back flat, hinge forward from your hips until your torso is at a 45° angle to the floor—this is your starting position.
• Pull the resistance band toward your ribs, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades together, then lower the band back to the starting position with control.

3. Knee push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Walk your knees back until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Engage your core.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest. Your arms should be out at a 45° angle from your torso and your body should remain in a straight line.
• Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

If you need to an easier, modified push-up, try doing a wall push-up or placing your hands on an elevated surface, like a couch. If you need more of a challenge, do push-ups on your toes instead.

I like to do one toe push-up, then the knee push-ups. Every two to three weeks, I’m increasing the number of toe push-ups I do in the routine to keep building strength.

4. Kneeling overhead press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Kneel on the mat with your torso upright, so your knees, hips and shoulders are in a straight line.
• Loop one end of the resistance band under your knees and hold the other end in both hands at shoulder height.
• Engage your core.
• Extend your arms to push the resistance band straight up, making sure you don’t arch your back.
• Lower with control.

Optional finisher: Squat

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15-30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing slightly out.
• Keep your chest upright and clasp your hands together.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand upright.
• Continue at pace.

I like to add this fast-paced set of squats onto the end of the strength exercises to raise my heart rate and challenge my thigh muscles. Rather than focusing on a set number, I try and push myself hard for the 30 second. If you’re new to fitness, make sure you take a longer rest after this exercise.

I try to make all my workouts efficient, focusing on full-body strength and mobility routines that will help me age well. This involves a lot of repetition, which can get a bit boring.

I decided to shake things up recently by trying a routine from trainer Lindsey Bomgren of Nourish Move Love—and I was glad I did.

Deep within the workout was a move that humbled me and exposed a blind spot in my longevity training: the double-hop skater.

Double-hop skater

Want to see how it’s done? Skip the YouTube video above to the last exercise in circuit 5, scrub to 9min 25sec left on the overall timer for the workout.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and raise your right foot.
• Hop forward and backward on your left foot.
• Jump laterally to the right, landing on your right foot.
• Bend your right knee to lower your hips and tuck your left leg behind you to perform the skater. (Reach your left hand over to your right foot to increase the difficulty)
• Stand and jump to the left, landing on your left foot.
• Repeat for 30 to 40 seconds, then switch sides.

Tips: Start slowly to make sure you can execute the move properly. Once you’ve found your rhythm, make sure your lateral jumps have some explosive force behind them to test your balance and strength.

Why the move has a new place in my workout routine

As I flailed around in my living room trying to perform this move, I realized that my strength workouts have helped me build muscle but not balance, agility and coordination.

That’s because my usual routines mostly keep both my feet on the floor and focus on slow, controlled moves.

If I want to maintain my ability to move quickly and stay steady on my feet, I need to include this kind of explosive lateral training.

For that reason, this double-hop skater is now a permanent fixture in my home routines.

I’m also going to make sure I keep adding variety to my exercise sessions, because while repetition and heavy weights can help you build strength, getting bored can kill consistency and progress.

If being stuck on a treadmill or static bike for miles is your only idea of cardio, then Lucy Borrie is out to change that.

The professional dancer and personal trainer recently launched BeBody, a workout method inspired by ’80s aerobics designed to be fun and effective.

It features classic bodyweight strength-training moves set to upbeat music; the faster tempo means you’ll get a cardio workout while testing your muscles.

Below, she's shared three of her favorite low-impact cardio movements you can try at home. They will help you build strength all over and boost your heart health too.

Borrie recommends putting on some fast-paced music and doing the workout in time to embody the BeBody method.

How to do the low-impact cardio workout

Before you jump in, Borrie says you should do two slow repetitions of each exercise to make sure you can execute it comfortably.

“Any movement I do, I always start slow, even if it’s a cardio movement,” she says. “I like to feel the move rather than rush into it, and then pick up the pace.”

Perform this workout as a circuit, doing each exercise for 40 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest. After you’ve done all three exercises, you’ve completed one round. Complete three rounds in total.

1. No-jump burpee

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart.
• Squat and bring your hands to the floor.
• Step your feet back, one at a time, so that you're in a high plank position with your body in one straight line. Keep your core engaged and shoulders over your palms.
• Step your feet back in between your hands, one at a time.
• Stand and reach your hands overhead, without jumping.

2. Slow cross-body mountain climber

Time: 40sec Rest: 20sec

• Start in a high plank with your shoulders above your hands and your back flat.
• Slowly drive one knee toward your opposite elbow.
• Hold briefly then return it to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side and continue alternating.

3. Power lunge

Time: 20sec each side Rest: 20sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then step one foot back.
• Lower your back knee toward the floor until both knees are at roughly 90° angles.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.
• As you do, drive your back knee forward and up toward your chest. Drive your opposite hand and elbow to chest height for momentum.
• Complete your repetitions on one side, then switch sides.

A strong mid-section is a runner’s secret weapon.

It helps your body absorb the repetitive impact of every stride, maintain an efficient upright posture, maximize the efficiency of your run and make the whole experience much more enjoyable.

That’s why personal trainer, ultramarathon runner and Realbuzz ambassador Sam Tomlinson insists that all his running clients include this five-move core workout in their weekly plan.

“Core training for runners is not just about strengthening the abdominal muscles,” he tells Fit&Well.

Instead, the trainer says runners should focus on building the glutes, hips, lower back and deeper trunk muscles, which all work together to keep the pelvis and spine stable while running.

“Running is essentially a series of repeated single-leg landings,” Tomlinson continues.

“The muscles around the side of the trunk and hips must prevent the pelvis from dropping or rotating every time the foot hits the ground.”

Here, the UK-based trainer shares the core workout he swears by and how it can be adapted for runners of all levels.

How to do this five-move core workout for runners

Tomlinson recommends completing this circuit after an easy run, once or twice a week.

“It is one I regularly use with my running clients, adapting the exercises to suit their current ability,” he says.

Perform the exercises in order, resting approximately 10 seconds between moves and one minute between rounds.

Complete three rounds in total, using Tomlinson’s regressions or progressions to match your ability.

1. Hollow hold

Time: 20-40sec Rest: 10sec

• Lie on your back and press your lower back into the floor by engaging your lower core muscles.
• Raise your head, shoulders and arms, then raise your legs to create tension through your whole body.
• Hold for your target time.

Make it easier: Bend your knees toward your chest to reduce the pressure through your lower back.

Make it harder: Extend your arms overhead and lower your legs closer to the floor.

2. Side plank

Time: 20-30sec each side Rest: 10sec

• Lie on your side with one foot stacked on top of the other, and rest your weight on your forearm, with your elbow positioned under your shoulder.
• Raise your hips to form a straight line from your head to your feet.
• Hold this position; avoid rotating forward or backward.

Make it easier: Keep your bottom knee on the floor to reduce the strain on your core.

Make it harder: Lift and hold your top leg away from your bottom leg.

3. Plank hip roll

Reps: 10 each side Rest: 10sec

• Get on your hands and knees.
• Step your legs back so your body forms a straight line.
• Lower onto your forearms, with your elbows directly under your shoulders.
• With your feet together, slowly lower your hips to one side, then the other.
• Control the rotational movement through your trunk while keeping your shoulders strong and stable.

Make it easier: Lower your knees to the floor and keep your hips low.

Make it harder: Slow the movement down and pause just above the floor on each side.

4. Bear plank shoulder tap

Reps: 8 each side Rest: 10sec

• Get on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees.
• Lift your knees just off the floor.
• Hold this position while you tap your left shoulder with your right hand, moving your arm as slowly as possible while keeping your back and hips level.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.

Make it easier: Perform the shoulder taps with your knees on the floor but keep your core engaged by pressing through your palms to engage your shoulder blades.

Make it harder: Move your feet closer together to increase instability.

5. Single-leg glute bridge

Reps: 10 each side Rest: 1min

• Lie on your back with your right knee bent and right foot flat on the floor, and your left leg extended.
• Place your hands on the floor by your sides for balance.
• Raise your hips and your extended left leg, avoiding any twist in your pelvis as you raise your hips.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of the lift, then lower with control.
• Complete 10 repetitions in total, then switch sides.

Make it easier: Perform the movement with both feet on the floor.

Make it harder: Pause for a few seconds at the top of each repetition or place a dumbbell across your hips.

One of the best ways to strengthen your core is to tag in a friend, grab a resistance band and challenge your abdominal muscles the way they have to work in real life.

That means working to keep you stable, balanced and your spine protected.

Exercising with a friend rather than solo, according to a 2019 study, could also improve your mental wellbeing—something I’m sure you'll discover during this fun follow-along workout.

Designed by trainers Matt Van Mol and Cyan Koay, co-founders of Strong Band, this four-move routine is guaranteed to strengthen your entire core and get you smiling.

“This 12-minute routine trains your core the way it was designed to work: under tension and through a range of different movement patterns,” Van Mol tells Fit&Well.

Working with a partner, he adds, will ensure you don’t slacken off mid-set.

“With someone on the other end of the band, either pulling it away from you, or bracing so you can move with a strong core, you can’t fake it,” he says.

“Performing these partner workouts consistently will help you develop real-world, functional core strength that supports you in everything that life throws at you.”

How to perform this core workout

The four exercises Van Mol and Koay have selected in this workout are designed to stress test a wide range of the core’s key functions.

“Dead bugs challenge anti-extension and towel pull-ups improve lower back strength,” explains Koay.

“While side plank rows work on lateral stability and Pallof presses using your partner as the anchor build control through rotation.”

It might sound technical, she adds, “but it is designed to flow and meet you where you are at, no matter your current level of ability”.

Before hitting play on the follow-along video below, assign you and your partner the number one or two. Partner one will follow the male trainer, Van Mol. Partner two will follow the female trainer, Koay.

Try to keep pace with the trainers in the video, resting as needed.

You can use this workout as a standalone session or tag it onto the end of a full-body routine as an effective core-focused finisher.

Van Mol suggests aiming to perform it once or twice a week.

In the video, the trainers refer to “progress lines” on the band that help determine the amount of tension you’re working against. Progress lines are what separate Strong Band’s resistance bands from other brands, but you can still get just as effective a workout using a regular long-loop resistance band.

Van Mol and Koay also use two bands. One provides medium resistance and the other light resistance, so bear this in mind if you have a few bands to choose from.

Here’s the workout as a follow-along YouTube workout, posted on Strong Band’s channel, followed by form guides and reps for each exercise, in case you’re in the gym and can’t easily watch the video.

Watch the follow-along core partner workout

Exercise guides

1A. Banded dead bug

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 each side

• Place your exercise mats end to end and lie on your backs, with your heads next to each other.
• With both of you holding one end of the band in both hands, raise your arms straight up—there should be a challenging amount of tension in the band; adjust your positions until this is the case.
• Lift your legs and bend your knees to 90° until your knees are directly above your hips and your shins are parallel to the floor.
• Engage your core and gently press your lower back into the floor—this is your starting position.
• Exhale as you extend and lower one leg slowly, tapping your heel on the floor.
• Inhale as you return to the starting position.
• Repeat with the opposite leg.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep and trying to move in unison.

1B. Banded pull

Sets: 2 Reps: 8

• Flip over onto your fronts, still both holding the band.
• Lift your chest and your feet slightly off the floor, and squeeze your glutes to stabilise your body.
• Pull the band into your chest like a row or pull-up.
• Hold briefly at the end of this range, then extend your arms back to the start position.
• You can either lower your chest and feet to the floor between reps or, for hold the raised position for an extra challenge.

2. Knees-down side plank with row

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Use a lighter band if you have one for this exercise.
• Lie on your side, facing your partner, propped up on your forearm, with your knees bent and feet behind you.
• Engage your core and squeeze your glutes, then lift your hips so your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Both of you should hold one end of the band in your top hand—this is your starting position.
• Partner two holds their end of the band by their hip and acts as the anchor point, and partner one pulls the band just past their hip, keeping their elbow tucked into their body.
• Partner one performs eight reps, then swaps roles with partner two.
• Complete all reps on one side, then change sides.

3. Pallof press with rotation

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand side by side with your partner, with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
• Both of you should hold one end of the band in both hands, with your fingers interlocked, and your arms extended in front of you at chest height.
• Step away from your partner to create tension in the band.
• Partner one should step to the front of your mat and partner two to the back of your mat—or if not using mats, position yourself so partner one is a bit in front of partner two.
• Keep your arms straight throughout as partner one brings their hands to their chest, then pushes out and rotates away from partner two as if in a woodchop motion.
• Return the band to the start with control.
• At the same time, partner two should be keeping their arms outstretched, hands in front of their chest, bracing against the force created by partner one.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed and breathing steady throughout.
• Partner one performs eight reps, then swaps roles with partner two.
• Complete all reps on one side then swap sides and repeat.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) sounds, well, intense.

With a name like that, you may think it is only suitable for seasoned exercisers, but it can easily be tailored to beginners.

Angela Brooks, a NASM-certified personal trainer from VASA Fitness, explains that the goal of HIIT is to push your heart rate up using bursts of high effort.

What gets my heart rate up will be less than what it takes for an Olympic athlete doing HIIT, but as long as I put the appropriate amount of effort in at the appropriate amount, I’ll benefit.

And HIIT offers some great benefits. “HIIT produces outsized results relative to the time invested,” Brooks explains.

“Steady-state cardio—like a 30- to 45-minute jog—has its place, especially for active recovery and aerobic base-building.

“But for people pressed for time who want to build cardiovascular fitness, improve metabolic health, and see measurable body composition changes, HIIT consistently outperforms [steady-state cardio and takes] less time.”

Brooks shared the following 10-minute, equipment-free, beginner-friendly HIIT workout for you to try.

10-minute beginner HIIT workout

“This workout was designed around two principles: accessibility and scalability. Each movement is low-impact at its base level, and I’ve included a progression for those ready to push further,” says Brooks.

Perform each of the following five exercises for 45 seconds, resting for 15 seconds between exercises, to complete one round. Perform two rounds in total.

1. Overhead march
2. Squat to calf raise
3. Reverse lunge to knee drive
4. Bear crawl hold
5. Lateral shuffle to rotational punch

Exercise guides

1. Overhead march

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms extended overhead.
• Bend and lift your right knee to hip height and lower your hands to tap your knee.
• Return to the starting position then repeat on the other side.
• As you warm up, increase your speed.

Add a challenge: Continue moving through the full 60 seconds without rest.

“An overhead march is the perfect opener,” says Brooks.

“It elevates your heart rate gently, warms your hip flexors and core, and forces overhead shoulder stability.

“Plus, it’s a low-impact movement pattern that works for every fitness level. Marching with arms raised also cues proper posture.”

2. Squat to calf raise

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower until your thighs are parallel with the floor, or as low as your mobility allows. Keep your chest facing forward and your knees aligned over your feet.
• Press through your heels to stand.
• Once you are stanging upright, shift your weight forward, lift your heels and raise both arms overhead.
• Return to the starting position.

Add a challenge: Replace the calf raise with a jump squat by pushing explosively off the floor at the top of each rep.

“This compound movement targets the primary lower-body muscles in a single fluid motion,” says Brooks.

“The squat builds glute and quad strength, and the calf raise at the top adds an ankle stability and calf endurance component.”

3. Reverse lunge to knee drive

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step your right foot back and bend both knees to lower until both knees are bent to 90°.
• Push through your left heel to rise, bringing your right leg forward, raising your right knee to hip height.
• Pause, then return to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Add a challenge: After the knee drive, transition directly into three fast high knees before switching sides.

“The reverse lunge is one of the safest lunge variations for beginners because it places less shear force on the knee,” says Brooks.

“Adding the knee drive at the top turns it into a balance and hip flexor challenge, and a natural progression into more dynamic movements. It’s unilateral (single-leg), which also develops stability and corrects side-to-side imbalances.”

4. Bear crawl hold

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

How to do it:

• Begin in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs extended behind you. Your body should form a straight line.
• Step your feet forward so that your knees are bent to 90° and are directly under your hips.
• Hold this position for a breath, then step your feet back out to high plank.
• Hold the plank for a breath, then step your feet forward into a bear hold.
• Continue, alternating between these two positions.

Modification: You can place your hands on a bench or elevated surface to reduce the pressure on your wrists and shoulders.

Add a challenge: Add a push-up each time you return to the high plank position.

“This movement trains both the superficial core—the muscles you can see—and the deep stabilizing core—the muscles that protect your spine,” says Brooks.

“Moving between a high plank and a bear crawl position demands full-body tension and coordination. It's deceptively challenging without any jumping or joint impact.”

5. Lateral shuffle to rotational punch

Time: 45sec Rest: 15sec

How to do it:

• Stand in an athletic stance, with your feet hip-width apart, your knees slightly bent and your hips pushed back slightly, and your hands raised to eye level.
• Take two side steps to the right.
• Punch to the left with your left hand, pivoting on your left foot and turning your hips and torso to face right.
• Shuffle back to the left and repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Add a challenge: In the final 15 seconds, drop into fast feet with alternating jabs so you are making rapid-fire punches on both sides.

“The lateral shuffle activates the glutes and inner/outer thighs in a way most exercises miss,” says Brooks.

“This exercise trains the side-to-side movement patterns that are essential for athletic function and injury prevention.

“The rotational punch at the end of each shuffle activates the obliques and trains the body to generate rotational power from the hips.”

I struggle to get my steps in sometimes and that’s when an indoor walking workout can come in handy.

It’s a great way to boost my step count without even leaving the house, which as, a single mom with limited childcare, is a godsend.

I’ve tried plenty of sessions on YouTube, and tried five of the most popular 1,000-step walking workout videos.

I prefer the shorter videos because I can squeeze them into a desk break, or while I’m on lunch.

So I was intrigued when I discovered this 1.0 Mile Happy Walk from Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone, which has racked up over 150 million views over two videos (the original video had a glitch and was reposted).

This makes it the most-watched indoor walking workout on YouTube, and as far as I’m concerned, worth a try.

Watch the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk

My experience trying the 1.0 Mile Happy Walk

I gave the workout a try myself, and here’s what I discovered.

1. The 15-minute format made it very easy to fit in

The workout only takes 15 minutes and you don’t need any equipment, or even much space, making it ideal to do in a lunch break or even between meetings.

It involves four easy steps: walking on the spot, side steps, kicks and a march.

Sansone also makes you do some walking forward and backward as well as side to side, so it’s great for coordination, too.

For someone who struggles to fit activity into my day, I found it was a convenient way to get moving. And because it is all low-impact, it’s well-suited to people new to exercise or returning after a break.

2. It worked more than just my legs

I expected my legs to do all the work but I could feel my whole body getting involved.

Rather than just accumulating steps, the workout ask you to move in different directions and encourages you to move your arms as well.

I went from doing overhead presses to shoulder rolls and lateral side reaches, as well as pumping the arms while power walking.

We did a hamstring curl with arm pull-backs, a standing crunch and even the grapevine—which reminded me of doing my mum’s workout videos as a teenager.

This made it feel like more of a workout than simply marching to hit a step target.

3. It got my heart rate up without feeling too intense

My Apple Watch recorded my heart rate at 93 bpm at the start, peaking at 131 bpm, with an average of 116 bpm.

It also estimated that I burned 98 calories in total.

I have to say, even though it wasn’t as challenging as my normal strength training sessions, and I wasn’t super sweaty, I was still surprised by how much effort it took for something labelled a walk.

The continuous marching, broken up with faster steps and larger movements, made it a gentle cardio session.

4. It was really fun

Exercise doesn’t need to be about getting your personal best or dripping in sweat by the end. It can just be about having fun while moving your body.

I spend a lot of time writing on my laptop, so taking a desk break to move—particularly doing something fun and playful, which felt a bit like a line dancing lesson—was a big mood booster.

I’ll definitely do this one again, particularly as it’s so quick and easy to fit into my busy schedule.

Lifting weights is one of the best ways to future-proof your body against injury and the physical effects of aging. That’s because adults lose between 3% and 8% of their muscle mass each decade after they reach 30.

Weightlifting can help combat this muscle loss, which is why Holly Fivian founded Holsm, a strength workout platform for midlife women.

If you’re completely new to exercise, Fivian recommends starting with bodyweight movements to help you get used to fundamental movement patterns like squats, push-ups and lunges. But if you’ve tried these movements before, adding a couple of dumbbells to your workouts could make all the difference.

“Once these movement patterns become habitual and you know what good form looks and feels like, you can start playing around with movement,” Fivian explains.

“You can add heavier weights, change your arm or hand position, try different squat, hinge, push, pull and lunge variations or change your tempo or range of movement.

“This is where training becomes fun.”

Below, Fivian has shared the dumbbell workout she always starts beginners with. Choose a pair of medium dumbbells and give it a go.

Holly Fivian’s beginner dumbbell workout

Fivian’s workout consists of five moves:

1. Goblet squat: 3 x 30sec
2. Romanian deadlift: 3 x 30sec
3. Lunge: 3 x 30sec
4. Chest press: 3 x 30sec
5. Bent-over row: 3 x 30sec

Workout timer

Form guides

1. Goblet squat

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing slightly outwards.
• Engage your core.
• Inhale as you push your hips back and down, and bend your knees, keeping your weight through your heels and gently pushing your knees outwards so they stay in line with your toes.
• Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.

Trainer tip: “Think: knees gently out, heels grounded, glutes on.”

2. Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards. Keep your head in line with your spine and maintain a long, strong back.
• Stop when you feel a stretch through the backs of your thighs, then exhale and drive your hips forwards and squeeze your glutes to return to standing.

Trainer tip: “This is a hinge rather than a squat. Think about sending the hips backwards.”

3. Lunge

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Cup the top head of a vertical dumbbell in both hands, holding it in front of your chest.
• Stand tall and engage your core.
• Step forwards (or backwards if that feels more comfortable) and bend both knees to lower, maintaining an upright posture and keeping your front knee tracking over your foot, rather than allowing it to collapse inwards.
• Push through your heel to return to standing, exhaling through pursed lips.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Trainer tip: “Use a wall or chair for additional stability if needed.”

4. Dumbbell chest press

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Lie on your back holding dumbbells next to your chest, with your elbows bent to 90° and upper arms resting on the floor.
• Engage your core.
• Press the dumbbells straight up, extending your arms and exhaling through pursed lips.
• Lower the weights slowly and with control as you inhale.

Trainer tip: “Engage the core by tucking the ribs and the pelvis before pressing the dumbbells overhead.”

5. Bent-over dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Time: 30sec Rest: 15sec

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing you and a slight bend in your knees.
• Push your hips back, allowing the dumbbells to lower close to your legs as your torso tips forwards—this is your starting position.
• Exhale as you lift the weights to your torso, drawing your elbows backwards towards your mid-back or hips, rather than towards the ceiling.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells as you inhale, keeping your torso still and avoiding shrugging your shoulders.

Trainer tip: “Keep your head in line with your spine, shoulders away from your ears and torso strong and still. The movement comes from your arms and back, not from swinging your body to get the weights up.”

It’s natural for mobility to decline as we age, but some movements tend to become harder before others.

Courtney Fitzpatrick, physical therapist at Hinge Health, sees these mobility changes regularly with her clients.

“The movements that often become more difficult first are the ones that require balance, power, quick reactions, strength, coordination, and mobility,” she says.

According to Courtney, the movements and attributes that are most likely to disappear first as we age are:

• Floor transfers (the ability to get on and off the floor)
• Movements reliant on leg strength (like squatting up and down)
• Eccentric control (the active lengthening of a muscle under load)
• Thoracic and cervical rotation (for example, turning your head to look over your shoulder)
• Hip mobility
• Balance

But we don’t have to accept that these movements are lost to us once we reach a certain age.

Below, Courtney shares a short strength routine that can be done a couple of times a week to slow the loss of these movements, and keep us moving healthily as we age.

1. Seated thoracic twist

Sets: 1 Reps: 8 each side

How to do it:

• Sit upright toward the front of a chair with both feet flat.
• Place your hands across your chest.
• Exhale and rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your hips and knees facing forward.
• Inhale and rotate your torso back to facing forward.
• Exhale and repeat on the other side.
• Avoid forcing the movement through your neck.

How it helps: This one improves upper-back rotation for everyday movements like reaching, turning and looking behind you.

2. Sit to stand

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Rest: 30–60sec

How to do it:

• Sit in a chair with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lean forward from your hips, keeping your back long.
• Press through your feet to stand.
• Slowly lower back into the chair.

How it helps: Sit-to-stand helps build the leg and hip strength needed for things like getting out of a chair and climbing stairs.

3. Standing hip flexor stretch

Sets: 1 Reps: 2 each side Time: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand beside a chair or counter for support.
• Step one foot back, keeping the heel lifted and both toes facing forward (if you don't need support, it can also be done by stepping forward, as in the video).
• Gently tuck your pelvis and shift your weight forward.
• Stop when you feel a mild stretch at the front of the back hip.
• Hold for 30sec and then switch sides.

How it helps: Stretches the front of the hip, which can support upright posture and a more comfortable stride.

4. Supported standing child’s pose

Sets: 1 Reps: 2 Time: 20–30sec

How to do it:

• Face a counter or wall and place both hands on it.
• Bend your knees slightly and push your hips back.
• Lengthen your arms as your torso lowers between them.
• Keep your neck and spine relaxed and hold for 20-30sec.

How it helps: This one gently stretches the back, shoulders and hips while encouraging comfortable movement.

5. Shoulder squeeze

Sets: 2 Reps: 10 Time: 3–5sec

How to do it:

• Sit or stand with your arms relaxed.
• Draw your shoulder blades gently together and down.
• Keep your shoulders away from your ears.
• Hold, then release and repeat.

How it helps: Shoulder squeezes encourage better upper-back positioning and comfortable posture.

If you’ve seen the latest Spider-Man, you already know that Tom Holland is in great shape.

Having completed CrossFit workouts myself, I know the real proof of his fitness is completing 27 rounds of the notorious Cindy workout in just 20 minutes.

The routine consists of three bodyweight moves—pull-ups, push-ups and squats—repeated as a circuit over 20 minutes.

Holland revealed his all-time best Cindy score in an interview with Men’s Health last year.

That clip has recently gone viral again, as people are recording themselves trying to beat his record, with most people falling short.

The beauty of this routine is anyone can do it—yes, even if you can’t do pull-ups or don’t have Holland’s strength and stamina.

While CrossFit workouts can be notably challenging, they can also be easily modified to individual levels.

Here's how to do it.

How to do Tom Holland’s workout

The goal of this workout is to put a 20-minute timer on and complete as many rounds as possible of the following circuit.

• Pull-up x5
• Push-up x10
• Squat x15

The workout packs in a lot of pulling, pushing and squatting in a relatively short time, so not only is it functional (mimicking the natural demands of everyday life) but it’s a tough cardio workout.

The pull-up is what most people will need to modify and there are many ways to do this, depending on what equipment you have.

If you only have access to dumbbells, then I'd recommend doing the below:

• Bent-over row x5
• Push-up x10
• Squat x15

1. Dumbbell bent-over row

How to do it

Reps: 5

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding heavy dumbbells.
• Hinge from your hips, pushing your buttocks back and lowering your torso until it’s almost parallel to the floor.
• Keep your back flat and maintain a slight bend in your knees.
• Pull the dumbbells toward your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top.
• Lower the weights back to the starting position.

While it doesn’t replicate the exact movement pattern of a pull-up, this variation will still get you to practice a pulling motion and provide a challenge for your back muscles.

If you only have resistance bands: Use a long-loop resistance band to perform a seated banded row.

If you’re at a gym: You can use the assisted pull-up machine, lat pull-down machine, or use a long-loop resistance band to make the pull-ups achievable.

2. Negative push-ups

How to do it

Reps: 10

• Come to your hands and knees on the floor.
• Position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Step your feet back, so your body is in a straight line.
• Lower your chest to the floor.
• Keep your knees on the floor as you push-up, keeping your upper body straight.
• Step your feet back, raise your hips and repeat.

Doing a negative push-up will challenge you to keep your body in that plank position, targeting your core muscles and getting you used to controlling your weight for the descent.

Make it easier: You can do wall push-ups if the above is too hard, or an elevated push-up, with your hands on a box or chair.

3. Squat

How to do it

Reps: 15

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing out slightly.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips, until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand.

Make it easier: Perform chair squats by positioning a chair, box or bench behind you and squatting down on it.

Tips for completing Tom Holland’s workout

• Choose your pace. You don’t have to go for speed (or even aim to get anywhere near Holland’s time) so choose a pace that you can maintain for the whole 20 minutes without compromising on good form and technique.
• Adjust the workout length. If 20 minutes is too much, then reduce the workout to 15 or 10 minutes until you build your capacity.
• Take breaks if you need them. Holland built his fitness skills over years, so don’t expect superhero results overnight. Take a breather in between sets and reps as you need it.

You don’t need to spend hours exercising.

Workouts that incorporate compound exercises, which hit multiple muscle groups at once and quickly raise the heart rate, mean you can spend less time on your workout.

You can squeeze in some quick exercise during even the shortest of lunch breaks and still feel like you worked hard.

Moves such as the plank walkout, mountain climbers and bear crawls, which each engage multiple muscles and joints, are an effective way to get the most out of your limited time.

Rather than isolating one muscle group like a biceps curl, these compound moves engage your upper body, lower body and core simultaneously.

Moves like burpees and walkouts, which I've included in my five-move lunch break workout below, combine strength training with cardio so they help to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.

Bear crawls and walkouts mimic natural movement patterns, so they improve functional fitness—increasing balance, stability and coordination—which we can lose as we get older unless we work on them.

​You don't need any equipment for the full-body moves in this workout, making it an ideal circuit to run through during a quick 15-minute lunch break.

How to do this 15-minute home workout

Work your way through these five exercises:

1. Plank walkout
2. Burpee
3. Bear crawl
4. Mountain climber
5. Plank

Aim to do each move for 30 seconds, taking a 20-second rest between exercises. Do them back to back, then take one minute of recovery time when you’ve completed all five exercises. Repeat the sequence two more times, making it three rounds in total, in just 15 minutes.

Here’s how to do each move.

1. Plank walkout

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Raise your hands above your head, then hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
• Walk your hands forward until you reach a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Briefly hold the plank position, then walk your hands back towards your feet and stand up.

2. Burpee

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
• Jump or step your feet back into a high plank position.
• Optional: bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor, then extend your arms to push back up into a high plank.
• Jump or step your feet back to your hands, then jump straight up, raising your arms overhead.
• Land softly and go straight into the next rep.

3. Bear crawl

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Engage your core.
• Lift your knees a few inches off the floor, keeping your back flat.
• Move your right hand and left foot forward at the same time.
• Then move your left hand and right foot together.
• Continue moving forward to the end of the mat, keeping your knees off the mat throughout.
• When you get to the end, reverse the movements back to the starting position.

4. Mountain climber

Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec

How to do it:

• Start in a high plank position, with your core engaged, arms extended, hands under your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Keeping your hands directly under your shoulders throughout, bring your right knee towards your left elbow.
• Return to the start, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep, keeping your hips facing the floor and core braced.

5. Plank

Time: 30sec Rest: 60sec

How to do it:

• Support your body on your forearms and toes, with your core engaged, elbows underneath your shoulders, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Hold the position for 30 seconds and avoid holding your breath. Avoid letting your hips sag or rise.
• Look slightly ahead beyond your hands, or down to keep your neck neutral.

There are endless workout routines online to pick from, so you’ll never be wanting for ideas, but you can save yourself a lot of time by having a tried-and-tested formula to fall back on.

There are plenty of those floating around as well, but not so many that let you shape the workouts to your preferences.

That’s what I love about this strength training formula from Lee Bell, strength and conditioning coach and senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at Sheffield Hallam University.

He’s provided a list of example exercises for three different movement patterns. He calls it a constraints-led approach and told me it works especially well for people who work out from home.

“A constraints-led approach provides someone with a framework, but then it allows them to make executive decisions of what fits that framework,” he explains.

Bell says this is a great method to try if you often become bored by working out. “It’s more motivating—there’s more autonomy,” he says.

“For me, being interested in and enjoying the workout is much more important than having a very rigid, inflexible workout plan.”

“If me and you did the same program, but you pick the exercises and I have to follow you around the gym, the chances are you’ll progress better than me, because you’ve got ownership and you’re picking things that you know work best for you,” Bell says.

Full-body home workout formula

Pick one exercise from each grouping below and voilà, you have a full-body workout. Repeat this format regularly, but feel free to vary which exercise you choose from each group, as long as you do one from each category.

“I don’t mind what you pick because they’re all going to train the same muscle,” says Bell, “but you pick what you feel works best for you.”

Squat pattern

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Sit to stand

• Sit on the front half of a sturdy chair with your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor.
• Push through your feet to stand up, keeping your chest lifted and avoiding using your hands if possible.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to slowly lower yourself back to the chair with control.

Goblet squat

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands close to your chest.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your chest up and your knees aligned over your foot.
• Press through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Dumbbell split squat

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart holding dumbbells by your sides, then take a big step back to adopt a split stance, with your front foot flat and your back heel lifted.
• Bend both knees to lower straight down until your front thigh is close to parallel with the floor, keeping your torso upright.
• Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.

Upper-body push

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Dumbbell lateral raise

• Stand holding dumbbells by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Raise the dumbbells out to the sides until they reach shoulder height, keeping your shoulders relaxed and avoiding swinging.
• Lower the dumbbells back to your sides with control.

Dumbbell overhead press

• Stand or sit holding dumbbells at shoulder height, with your palms facing forwards and elbows underneath the weights.
• Press the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended,without arching your lower back.
• Lower the dumbbells back to shoulder height.

Single-arm kettlebell overhead press

• Hold a kettlebell in one hand in the rack position, with your wrist straight, hand by your shoulder, elbow close to your body and the kettlebell resting on the back of your forearm.
• Brace your core and press the kettlebell overhead until your arm is fully extended.
• Lower the kettlebell back to the rack position with control.

Upper-body pull

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12

Choose one of the following exercises and complete the above sets and reps for the move you choose.

Biceps curl

• Stand holding dumbbells with your arms by your sides and your palms facing forwards.
• Keeping your elbows close to your body, bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up towards your shoulders.
• Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.

Bent-over row

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge forward from your hips and push your hips back, bending your knees slightly and keeping your back flat.
• Pull the dumbbells up to your lower ribs, drawing your elbows past your torso, keeping your shoulders level and your back flat.
• Lower the dumbbells with control.

Kettlebell high pull

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, a kettlebell on the floor in front of you.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees slightly to lower and grasp the handle of the kettlebell.
• Pull the kettlebell off the floor and let it swing between your legs.
• Push your hips forward explosively to swing the kettlebell in front of you, bending your elbow to pull the kettlebell to the side of your head.
• Reverse the movement to control the descent of the kettlebell, hinging at the hips to go straight into the next repetition.

Being able to maintain and improve balance becomes more important as you age. It can make the difference between suffering a serious fall-related injury or avoiding a fall altogether.

Yoga teacher Agata Quieora recently took to Instagram and Facebook, and said the best anti-aging hack is the four ankle exercises in her video below.

Quieora wrote that these four moves are “some of the most powerful things you can do for your feet, ankles, and calves, the foundation of every step, every yoga pose, and every movement you make.”

They are all variations of the calf raise using a yoga block, although you can do some of the moves using stairs or a step.

The internet sat up and took notice, with the video passing five million views and counting on Facebook alone.

The benefits of calf raises

Physical therapist Ashley Katzenback, owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, says Quierora’s calf raise variations—like the regular ones on the floor without a block—are a great way to improve balance.

“Performing calf raises in a variety of ways is a great way to improve your balance, strength, coordination and mobility,” says Katzenback. “All of these areas tend to decline with age, so it’s important to challenge yourself so your ankles are better able to respond to a trip and/or fall.

“Calf raises, especially when performed with the intent to move quickly, enhance the explosive force of the calf muscles (plantarflexors). This is critical for reactive balance—the ability to recover from something unexpected like a trip or push.”

How often should you do calf raises?

Katzenback says ideally we should all be doing calf raises every day. “But a realistic target is to incorporate them into your strength training workout and do them four times a week,” she says.

And you can expect to notice a benefit in around a month. “Like all physiological changes, it takes four to six weeks to notice a change.”

How calf exercises improve your balance

Katzenback says that strong calf muscles also help your body know where your foot and ankle are—known as ankle proprioception—and that can improve your balance and movement.

“This is especially important because as we age, we tend to sit more and our calf muscles get shorter and weaker,” she says. “Ankle balance relies on input from proprioception in your feet, ankle joints and even calf muscles. Your calf muscle spindles provide sensory feedback. Stronger, better-conditioned calf muscles will provide more reliable proprioception.”

And as we’ve already heard, when we do calf raises, this increases the capacity of the plantarflexors—which can reduce your fall risk. “The more reactive your plantarflexion is, the less likely you are to fall if you are trying to recover from an expected loss of balance,” she says.

I often only have a short amount of time to squeeze in exercise so when I do an online workout it needs to be quick, effective and fun.

Personal trainer Britany Williams always ticks all three boxes with the workouts she posts on her Instagram account. She often uses compound exercises (working multiple muscle groups at once), allowing you to work your whole body in less time.

Like me, the Sweat coach is a mom to young children so she understands the time constraints parents face.

Here are three of her workouts I do on repeat.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for arms

This 15-minute arms workout features just three dumbbell exercises—the single-arm shoulder press, single-arm row and skull crusher—ticking off a push, a pull and an isolation move for the triceps on the back of your arms.

This neat little circuit not only works your upper body but also challenges your core. In a kneeling position, your abdominal muscles will work hard to stabilize you, and the skull crusher requires some core strength to raise the weights from overhead.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for no-jumping cardio

Since having children my pelvic floor is not as strong as it used to be and now I’m nearing 50, low-impact cardio is kinder on my knees. This no-jumping cardio workout satisfies my love of HIIT without putting too much stress on my joints.

It’s only four rounds but because there’s no rest between exercises, it keeps your heart rate up and helps to build cardiovascular fitness and strength.

My favorite Britany Williams workout for core strength