It all starts here

Committing to a workout is a great first step – you’ll start seeing results, gain more confidence and have an overall easier time. These exercises have been targeted to help you work on the main three areas of fitness for five minutes each, giving you a plan that will make you feel great!

FLEXIBILITY

These moves loosen your shoulder, neck and upper back muscles to release tension and counter what personal trainer Joy Keller calls “tech neck”. “We spend most of our lives flexed forward – sitting at computers, holding phones and driving,” says Keller. Hunching rounds the shoulders, creating a curved posture and tightening neck muscles. Stretching helps to regain some of the muscles’ suppleness, maximising your flexibility.

CARDIO

“Bigger movements that engage more muscles will give you the biggest bang for your buck,” explains personal trainer Chris Jordan. To keep workouts short, choose exercises that work multiple parts of your body at once, like the four on page 96.

STRENGTH

Need some incentive to pick up weights? There’s plenty, even the fact that once you put them down, you’ll not only get stronger but also burn kilojoules at an accelerated rate. That’s because strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscle fibres. While repairing those muscles and making them stronger, your body uses more energy, says exercise physiologist Wayne Westcott.

There’s no need to go to the gym. All you need to do these exercises is a sturdy chair, hand weights and an exercise mat, which will provide cushioning and give more support than carpet.