EDITOR’S LETTER

At the start of lockdown (the original) – in a state of mild panic that my gym was out of bounds and, with it, the cornerstone of my tness routine for the past decade – I baked a lovely lemon drizzle cake and bought a PlayStation. I also committed to doing ten minutes of yoga and ve minutes of press-ups every single morning. It’s not a lot, but however many months on (eight? 75? Who knows.) I’m still supplementing my regular routine with that small morning ritual. e habit has formed, and I feel genuinely better for it.

It’s brought physical bene ts, too. Because despite my old weights programme going out the window, I feel in much better shape now than I did when I was quivering under a pair of cast-iron dumbbells. e press-up is not a glamorous move – it’s primal, even – but as long as you maintain consistency and variety it can step up to be the star of the show, rather than a mere muscle-priming extra. Don’t just take my word for it, though: turn to page 36, where strength experts weigh in on the power of the press.

Elsewhere this issue, we celebrate other forms of tness that don’t get the credit they deserve: from dance, to big-wheeled biking, to low-intensity cardio. Because the secret to sustaining any exercise routine is to make it as enjoyable as possible: once you nd tness fun, workouts can be savoured rather than endured.