Last Updated:February 04, 2026, 13:19 IST

In a recent Instagram Reel, actor Alaya F shared how to do an upside-down arc, a position where she is facing the floor in a handstand position and balancing on dumbbells.

Alaya F often shares advance level exercises on her social media

Bollywood celebrities continue to raise the bar with their inspiring workout regimes, exercises and diets that support their glowing skins and vibrant personalities. Along the same vein, popular actress Alaya F recently came up with a unique ‘upside-down’ posture.

Taking to Instagram, Alaya performed one of her favourite exercises.

The actress, who was wearing a grey bralette and black shorts, first bent upright towards a pair of dumbbells placed adjacent to a wall. Upon firmly holding the dumbbells, Alaya gradually raised her left and then her right leg. The actress eventually reached a position facing the turf in a handstand position, creating an ‘upside-down’ arc.

Later on, Alaya raised the dumbbells one at a time while balancing herself against the wall with both her legs split widely. Having successfully completed her dumbbells raise, the actress returned to her original position and closed out the video.

What are the Benefits?

While unique and difficult to execute initially, the exercise that Alaya F showed in the video comes with an array of physical benefits. Since the actress must have done this upside-down exercise many times away from the spotlight on social media, one could

see that it has helped the actress build great muscle endurance.

Despite the awkward positioning, she was able to balance herself very well on a handstand. Goes without saying that the exercise strengthens the core. As the weight of the dumbbells puts pressure on our split-up legs, this exercise should also improve flexibility

in the hips and hamstrings.

Alaya F’s Fitness Routine Raises Eyebrows Again

The video of the upside-down exercise was not the first time that actress Alaya F caught people’s attention with her fitness regime. The actress previously spoke about embracing the ’75 Hard’ rule in her workout plans.

“I’ve just restarted this thing called the 75 Hard. It involves two workouts a day: one indoor and one outdoor, with each lasting a minimum of 45 minutes. One of them has to be outdoors,” she said, as quoted by NDTV Lifestyle. The actress also explores the

benefits of meditation and swears by many of her healthy lifestyle choices.

“I also drink 3.8 litres of water a day, read at least 10 pages of a non-fiction book, and follow a strict no-cheat-meal policy. Oh, and no alcohol allowed.”

At 79, Joanna Lumley is proof that life doesn’t stop with age. If she’s not filming a new TV series, she’s travelling the world – and she’s just as active at home. While gym workouts aren’t for her, she stays fit with NEAT exercise.

Standing for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT exercise refers to any movement you do that isn’t intentional, like gardening or walking on your commute. For Joanna, it means housework, gardening and taking the stairs. In an interview with My Weekly magazine, she explained: ‘I don’t go to the gym but I do stuff with vigour, such as housework, gardening and going up the stairs two at a time.’

This type of exercise makes up significantly more of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure, meaning how many calories you burn across each day), compared to the time you spend exercising in a gym or doing a planned workout. To be specific, NEAT makes up around 50% of your TDEE, while a planned workout typically only counts for around 10%. The more you fit movement into your day by doing housework, gardening or taking the stairs like Joanna (especially if you do them ‘with vigour’), the more energy you expend and the bigger the fitness benefits.

Joanna Lumley at Wimbledon, July 2025

One study on women aged 65+ found that just 30 daily minutes of light activity of this kind, including house cleaning, was associated with a 12% lower risk of death compared with being mostly sedentary. Those who got an additional 30 minutes of moderate activity were 39% less likely to die. Even more interestingly, senior study author Andrea Lacroix noted that as adults get older, they expend more energy doing the same activities they did when they were younger, meaning the older you are, the more you’ll get out of light NEAT exercise.

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Inspired? Here are some other examples of NEAT to try:

• Washing the car
• Fidgeting
• Walking upstairs
• Walking the dog
• Carrying grocery shopping
• Gardening
• Playing with children or pets
• Using a standing desk
• Using a desk treadmill
• Walking to the gym, shops or office, instead of taking public or private transport

 As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red.Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.