Staying well in winter

Physical activity helps our body and mind in many ways, and you can read more about getting the right amount of exercise at Essex Livewell.  

If you’re new to exercise here are some ideas to get you moving.

Take your workout online 

On YouTube there are endless free exercise videos to try, regardless of your fitness level or the size of your living room. From yoga and strength workouts to Pilates, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and more.  

• Colchester Leisure World have launched a free ‘my wellness’ app.  There are a range of Train at Home workouts, from easy to hard, so all residents can challenge themselves and enjoy the benefits.
• Paul Tredgett is a personal trainer based in Colchester who is offering free online 10-minute low impact beginners home workouts.
• For older people, strength and balance exercises such as yoga, tai chi, resistance training and seated exercises are popular. 
• Colchester-based organisation Coral Reef are offering online seated dance classes. This very inclusive class is live via Zoom every Thursday at 12pm, using this link: Coral Reef seated dance class.
• Free online local sessions are run by the award winning GB Colchester Bootcamp Online which is based around bodyweight high intensity workouts designed to burn fat and build confidence, along with online social events and fun competitions.
• If the gym is not for you the Active Essex YouTube channel has a variety of different sessions from high impact, low impact, chair based, Pilates, yoga and family football sessions (in the garden).

Go freestyle

If a structured routine is not your style, get creative and build your own workout: 

• Instead of weights use household items like filled water bottles and cans or jars of food (if you can find some!), walk or run on the spot for 30 second intervals, do star jumps, planks, sit ups, push-ups, or even burpees. Anything to get your heart rate up a little.
• Walking, cycling and running are great solo activities and safe if you’re feeling well and haven’t been asked to self-isolate (keeping the recommended two metres from others as outlined in the social distancing guidance).

Active families 

While the children are off school, it is important to keep them active too. 

• The Body Coach, Jo Wicks, uploads workout videos to his YouTube channel.
• If you are staying at home, you can find free easy 10 minute work outs from Public Health England which includes cardio, strengthening, and balance exercises, or other exercise videos to try at home on the NHS Fitness Studio.

Disabilities or specific conditions 

Specialist physiotherapists and cardiac rehabilitation instructors at Anglian Community Enterprise, our local community NHS healthcare provider, have provided some guidance: 

• 10 minute Beginners Yoga for back pain
• 8 min Beginner Pilates  
• 5 min exercise for the back  

Parasport have wheelchair accessible workouts and WheelPower have adaptive yoga. 

Those with long term conditions such as arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions will find some great exercises at Arthritis Action. 

The Activity Alliance have compiled a list of exercise advice, workouts, videos and activity guides to support disabled people to move more while at home.