How To Get Fit For Free

Gym memberships are pricey and the weather is making it harder than ever to get out and exercise, but you don't need pots of money to get fit

If you're looking after your pennies ahead of the expensive Christmas season, but still want to fit into your party outfit, there is hope!

Getting fit doesn't have to mean an expensive gym membership or pricey fitness equipment. Here's how...Working out from the comfort of your own home (REX)

Get fit with the help of Army physical training instructors

If you are  a fair weather exerciser (and let's face it, as the hours of daylight dwindle who isn't?) then there are plenty of plans you can do at home, giving you no excuse over the winter.

The best thing about getting fit is being able to see the rewards and benefits and with the 100% Army Fit app you can build your fitness to the level of a soldier in training, thanks to simple exercises to increase your strength, stamina and confidence.

As you get fitter you can compare your levels against all the current fitness requirements for different jobs in the army and see just how fit you are.

Work up a sweat doing the housework

It doesn't sound particularly appealing but actually combining housework with working out has been found to be an excellent way to maximize your time. Research has found that people who do housework tend to be fitter and healthier than those who don't.

You can burn up to 50,000 calories a year if you put some real effort into the housework, that’s 14lbs in fat or exactly one stone over the course of 12 months.

Vacuuming for one hour can help you burn 193.7 calories, dusting 173.6 and mopping floors 193.7 so it's up to you - working out AND getting a sparkling house or heading to the gym and coming back to the same old mess. It's not looking so bad now, is it?

Interval training with a difference

If you find time is at a premium then interval training during the adverts of your favourite programmes is something everyone can manage.

Interval training is working out at a very high level for a short burst, followed by a recovery period, then another burst.

So you could try doing burpees for 60 seconds, followed by a 20 second rest three times in a row.

Studies have found this type of exercise to be as effective or better than longer, lower intensity exercise so you should really notice a difference.

Other exercises to try include squats, dips using a dining chair and crunches on the carpet in front of the TV.

Be creative with equipment

Gym equipment doesn’t have to cost the earth, or indeed anything. Cans, tins and bottles all make good hand weights and you can change the weight depending on what you fill them with.

A sturdy chair can replace a bench and you can use the stairs instead of a stepper.

If you are looking for specific equipment though, it’s worth keeping an eye on websites such as Freecycle because there are always people looking to create space at home by getting rid of unused fitness equipment.Yoga is easy to do at home (REX)

Try Yoga

Yoga is a great exercise for the mind, body and spirit and the best thing is it’s easy to do at home because all you need is space for a mat.

There are plenty of free tutorials online and free apps for your phone, so you can follow the instructions to make sure you are doing the moves correctly.

Doing it in the privacy of your own home also saves any embarrassment if you're not very flexible. Plus - no full length mirrors is definitely a benefit.

Take the gym outdoors

When we do get crisp clear days, exercising outside is till on the cards.

Research by the University of Essex shows that exercising outdoors boosts people’s physical and mental health more than going to indoor gyms, even when it's a bit chilly.

With this in mind, the National Trust has worked with Eco Fitness to devise a free outdoor fitness programme you can follow whatever the weather.

The 31-day plan has been designed to ease people into an outdoors regime where exercise is fun rather than a chore. No equipment is needed and exercises in the challenge include power walking, tree press-ups and ‘spotty dogs’ (stepping backwards on the spot using opposite arms and legs).

Ref:  https://sg.sports.yahoo.com/news/fit-free-090000698.html

All Exercises by Neila Rey

Ref:  http://neilarey.com/workouts.html

Office Workout by Neila Rey

Ref:  http://neilarey.com/workouts.html

Total Abs by Neila Rey

Ref:  http://neilarey.com/workouts.html

90 Days Challenge for Total Abs

Strength Training: Upper Body Exercise

Get Fit With Only 4 Minutes Of Exercise? Let Us Introduce You To The New HIIT Workouts

If the seven minute workout didn’t do it for you, might we suggest the four-minute fat blast? Aka Tabata, it’s the latest form of speedy interval training to hit our shores and, if you believe the hype, one round of this gruelling 240-second set of exercises (done four times a week) will give the same, if not better, body-conditioning results as a traditional fitness regime. The key is high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which intersperses short spells of recovery. Sports scientist and professor Greg Whyte (gregwhyte. com) says, ‘The great advantage is the small amount of time required. It’s easier to motivate yourself and sustain the programme long-term. However, it is important to include all elements of conditioning, ie, aerobic, strength, flexibility, etc, to ensure you are getting the most out if it.’ Continue reading for our no excuses workout...

1. Try A 2-minute squat session:

‘As soon as you wake up, before you take your shower and brush your teeth, do 50 squats next to your bed. Nobody is looking, so you can do them in your PJs. Squats are an excellent fat burner and will only take up 2-3 minutes. Over the course of the week that’s 350 squats!’ says Dalton Wong, founder of Twenty Two Training (twentytwotraining.com).

2. 4 Minutes is the new 7 minutes:

Get fit with only 4 minutes of exercise four times a week? Yes please! Tabata is comprised of an aerobic and anaerobic workout, meaning it will give you both a cardio and a muscle workout. Developed by Japanese scientist Professor Izumi Tabata, it is made up of 20 seconds of intense exercise, led by your instructor, followed by 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this set 8 times. It sounds pretty easy but is anything but: 4 minutes of Tabata is equivalent to an hour of jogging and it speeds up your metabolism so that you continue to burn more calories for a full 12 hours after your session. Yes, it’s painful, but it’s worth it. Tabata classes are available at Fitness First (fitnessfirst.co.uk).

3. The A-list's 5-minute metaboLic plan:

Dalton shares the quick-fix weight loss and body-sculpting secrets he uses as a trainer to the stars. Set a timer for 5 minutes and perform as many circuits as possible without rest. 1) 10 lunges forward on each leg 2) 10 push-ups 3) 10 reverse lunges on each leg 4) 10 tricep dips 5) 10 squat jumps.

Record how many you can complete in 5 minutes and aim to beat that time each week.

4. The ‘20 minutes to fat blast-off!’ class:

Virgin Active’s Fast Classes are a gym-goer’s favourite. Performed on mats in the gym area rather than in a studio, they are perfect for those who find themselves short on time and needing to nip away before the end of a class. You can do just a few minutes or stay for the full 15-20 minutes. One of the sessions is UGI, which is made up of a series of one-minute exercises and combines strength, cardio and core training. The instructor-led movements revolve around a 15-inch squishy stress ball, which can be stood on, knelt on, or usedaspartofaplankorevenasa weight. Another class is Puma HIIT – a series of fat-burning drills focusing on speed and agility (virginactive.co.uk).

5. Boost your metabolism in 20 seconds:

‘Perform 5 squats with shoulder presses, followed by 10 fast ladder climbs (where you pretend to climb a ladder lying on your front) on the floor. This exercise uses the large muscle groups, which increase muscle mass and EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption) and, in turn, boosts your metabolic rate,’ says Giuseppe Minetti, founder of The Token Yard Club and an expert in metabolic fitness (thetokenyardclub.com).

6. The anywhere APP/android workout:

Couldn’t make it to the gym this morning? That once-plausible excuse no longer cuts it thanks to apps like DailyBurn. Here, you can choose from and download hundreds of short workouts, and up to a month’s worth of fitness plans that can be performed anywhere – not just in your living room. Stream it while at the gym for a futuristic personal training experience (dailyburn.com).

7. You(tube) can do it!:

Admittedly, we’ve mainly been YouTube-ing the John Lewis Christmas advert on repeat, but there’s an influx of high-quality HIIT workout videos on the video-sharing site too. The Nike Women channel boasts real-time interval and high-intensity virtual classes that hit the right note between encouraging and no-nonsense. Check them out at youtube.com/user/NikeWomen.

Ref:  http://sg.news.yahoo.com/fit-4-minutes-exercise-let-introduce-new-hiit-143245007.html