The New Year is here, and if you are like most people now is the time you feel more motivated than ever to get fit and healthy. But the problem is you don’t really have the time or desire to go to the gym.  The days when you had to spend hours slogging it out in the gym are over, try this 5 minute home workout that will really get you great results.

Here’s the format: 5 exercises all 20 seconds in duration with 10 seconds rest between each one( do as many repetitions as you can within that time period). Repeat each one twice = 5 minutes

1: Squat – Stand up straight and bend your knees. Lower your body down as far as you can, then push back up.

3/4: Split Squat – Start with 1 leg forward and 1 leg back as far apart as possible. Bend your back knee towards floor then push back up through your front heel. Repeat on other leg.

5: Front Plank – (Either from your knees or for the more advanced from your feet) Start face down resting on you elbows and knees/feet and raise body off floor. Hold position still.

There you are. Just 1 of my Fabulous 5 Minutes Workouts.

Today’s Takeaway - There is it is. A great workout from home in next to no time.  P.S. Don’t be afraid to repeat it a few times or add to it to increase the calorie burn!

When people are doing their own workouts, whether it be at the gym or at home, I am often asked how many reps should you do for a particular exercise. The thinking behind this has changed GREATLY in recent years, hence the confusion that surrounds it.

Up to 10, or even less, years ago ‘experts’ suggested that you should keep the weights low and the reps high if your goals are fitness and/or weight loss. E.g. 20+ reps. But in recent years this theory has gone full-circle leading to many professionals recommending training as a strength athlete would and doing heavier weights and keeping the reps lower. E.g. 6-10 reps. This change has led to many people, especially women, worrying that they are doing a workout aimed at building muscle rather than getting fat/burning fat.

So which is right? That depends on a couple of factors;

(i) how experienced you are. If you are new to the exercises you are doing you should definitely keep the reps higher initially. Otherwise you risk performing the exercise with poor technique and/or injuring yourself.

(ii) what sort (if any) equipment you have. The most important thing in any workout is to work as hard as you can. So there is no point in limiting yourself to just doing 12 lunges if you can manage 20. Just do as many as you can.

This being said, a good mix of different reps for different exercises is ideal. The body gets different benefits from lower rep exercises to higher rep ones, so doing a bit of everything will give you the best results. So for example you may do 20 squats, 15 sit-ups and 10 press ups in a circuit.

Whether its clients of mine, friends, or anyone who knows I’m a personal trainer, everyone wants advice on what fitness equipment is best to help them get fit and lose weight.

There is a lot on the market, from large space consuming cardiovascular machines such as treadmills and cross trainers, to new ‘revolutionary’ gizmos aimed at burning stomach fat. The choice is endless, but the first thing I would say is buying the machine is not going to make you lose weight. The VAST majority of people that buy any kind of fitness equipment barely, if at all, use it. So you whatever you buy you need to commit mentally to using it regularly (but that I mean at least 3/4 times a week).

Given that there is a big risk of not using the machine, don’t buy something you already know you will hate using. So many people but a treadmill because they think running is the best form of exercise and buying a treadmill will make them do it. There’s no point. It doesn’t matter how good something is for you, if you hate doing it you’re ultimately going to stop.

The problem with any cardiovascular machine is there are boring and monotonous. You just do the same thing over and over again, and sooner or later you will get bored and stop using it. If you already have 1 of course you can work it into your exercise program but I wouldn’t recommend buying 1.

Getting some basic free weights is a MUCH better idea. This was you can put together a varied workout program that you can regularly change keeping the workouts… Read more->

A lot of people don’t do as much exercise as they should because the idea of going to the gym or doing an hours workout at home isn’t always possible. Here are some great ways to drastically increase your activity level without really even realising it.

1 Daily targets – Set yourself targets for the day with basic exercises. For example 100 squats and 50 press ups a day. That would take very little time. You don’t have to do it all in 1 go. You could do some when you wake up, some during an ad break when you’re watching TV in the evening, etc. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to reach your target and you can set yourself new ones.

2/ Get something fun that’s active – a hoola hoop or a tramet/trampoline are 2 great examples of this. You can play around with kids/ family and barely even realise your exercising. But you will still be burning calories.

3/Walk more – I know it sounds obvious but not many people do much of it! If you have a dog then that’s perfect as you have to do it. And add an extra calorie burn to your workout by taking a football or running around with your dog. But otherwise, just get off the bus a stop early, take the stairs rather than the lift. Whatever it takes just walk around more.

Today’s Takeaway – Exercise doesn’t have to be a full on workout. Little bits can add up to a good calorie burn.