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From ballet to gym – we test three ways to stick to your fitness resolutions

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From ballet to gym – we test three ways to stick to your fitness resolutions

ONLINE exercise sessions, followed from home, will be a big health trend in 2024 as we try to strike a balance between work, family life and fitness.

The Fitness and Wellness Trends Report 2024 reveals two of the major barriers to exercise are being “too tired” and “lack of time”.

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Jane Atkinson looks at three ways to keep fit and active at homeCredit: Supplied

But at home a warm-up, workout and cool-down can be done in as little as 30 minutes and fitted around busy schedules.

Here Jane Atkinson looks at home workouts.

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SIX-WEEK PROGRAMME

PERSONAL trainer Nicole Chapman is the founder of the Power of Mum programme. She specialises in pre- and post-natal fitness but I found it just ihipgood for women in general.

It is a six-week course offering four on-demand video workouts a week, so press play when you have time to do it.

Nicole Chapman is the founder of the Power of Mum programme

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Nicole Chapman is the founder of the Power of Mum programmeCredit: Supplied

They include high and low-impact HIIT, strength-training, FAWE (holistic movement), Pilates, barre and yin yoga. All you need is a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells.

The bit I like is a WhatsApp support group where members keep each other motivated – and many don’t even have kids.

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There’s also recipes to help with your diet, weekly check-ins and goal-setting.

Her next course is on offer at £63 with the code NEWYEAR. See nicolechapman.com

BALLET

ROYAL Academy of Dance registered ballet teacher and former lawyer Sarah Aspinall’s online programme is designed to give those at every level of fitness the sculpted body of a dancer.

The Breaking Ballet workout is designed for women aged 40-plus and uses short, effective, on-demand ballet-inspired exercises that can be worked around busy lives.

Sarah Aspinall’s online programme is designed to give those at every level of fitness the sculpted body of a dancer

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Sarah Aspinall’s online programme is designed to give those at every level of fitness the sculpted body of a dancerCredit: Supplied

As women’s bodies change with perimenopause and menopause, the programme is designed to help reduce symptoms and provide a workout that is appropriate for changing bodies.

It also improves balance and posture and there are noticeable improvements in muscle tone, sculpting, strength and stamina.

A 21-day online body reboot costs £37 – see breakingballet.com

GYM MEMBERSHIP

IF you want to do both gym and at home workouts, this is a great option.

With a David Lloyd membership, you get an On Demand section on their app which offers at-home workouts.

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Some speedy HIIT routines that come with a David Lloyd membership don't even require you to have any equipment at home

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Some speedy HIIT routines that come with a David Lloyd membership don’t even require you to have any equipment at homeCredit: Supplied
There's a variety so you don't get bored, and there's something for everyone

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There’s a variety so you don’t get bored, and there’s something for everyoneCredit: David Lloyd Clubs

Their speedy HIIT routines can be done at home in as little as 20 minutes.

Some of them need no equipment, and it targets the whole body, helping to burn calories and build muscle.

Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, the hundreds of on-demand workouts ensure there is a variety so you don’t get bored and there is something for everyone.

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Prices vary by club, starting from £59 a month. Visit your local club or davidlloyd.co.uk for more info.

Fitness

New workout makes fitness more accessible for moms

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New workout makes fitness more accessible for moms

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.

iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.

“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”

When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.

“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”

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Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.

“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”

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Fitness

Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape

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Share your health and fitness questions for Devi Sridhar, Mariella Frostrup, and Joel Snape

There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.

To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.

To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?

Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.

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