WHAT YOUR HOME EXERCISE REGIME IS MISSING

Expert advice on how to maximise your workout

At the beginning of the home workout revolution during lockdown, things felt simple. No more slogging to the gym! No more being late for Pilates or breaking the speed limit to get to Barre. You could just log on to Zoom, stick on your ipad or lace up your trainers, and Get Exercise Done.

But over the months, for some of us, an hour’s class shrank to 30 minutes… and then down to 10. Maybe we began to skip days – and then even more over winter. If you’re a fair-weather runner, it takes way more willpower to run outside in February than it does in June.

Now you can get back into the exercise groove, according to wellness coach Harry Jameson. You might know him from being papped while training Boris Johnson, but he’s had 20 years experience of getting clients in their best shape. His way of looking at fitness is holistic: it’s not only about movement, but about nutrition, gut health and, above all, psychology. Here is his advice.

MAKE IT FEEL GOOD

With no eyes on you, you may find you skip the parts of your workout that you don’t enjoy. ‘That is a big reason people come to see me – to be pushed through the bits they don’t like doing,’ says Jameson.

‘In the absence of that, can you remind yourself how good you feel afterwards?’ he advises. ‘Can you take notice of the extra boost of energy you get, when you do the moves you don’t like? The stronger muscles? The way you look better? Think longer term too: this is something I can do every day to future-proof my mental and physical health. And when you’ve finished, give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back.’

PUT IT IN THE ‘NECESSITY’ CATEGORY

Even though, in theory, we have more time to work out, do we use it? This is the other reason people pay a trainer according to Jameson: accountability. The answer? ‘Diarise your workout. Prioritise it, put it in your diary and, crucially, classify it as a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Make it something you’ll move mountains to do.’

KNOW WHEN TO PUSH

‘Expecting to break records at this point is unrealistic,’ says Jameson. ‘It’s absolutely fine to be about maintenance and damage limitation right now, not gains.’ That means keeping exercise regular: over 10,000 steps a day (aim for 15,000) plus 20 to 40 minutes of a class, strength, weights or yoga.

‘But if you have the energy to go harder for a few months, you will really feel the benefits,’ he adds. ‘After three months of red-faced slogging, you can get to the point where running feels like therapy or a really hard class feels pleasurable.’

ADD IN RHYTHMIC, STEADY-STATE CARDIO

We all know exercise is a great tool to help combat stress – and most of us are under rested, under pressure and over stressed. ‘In evolutionary terms, the stress reaction was designed to help you escape life-threatening danger,’ says Jameson. ‘So your body is having to produce more stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol to keep you up and going. It’s reacting as if you’re under threat – shutting down your digestion, suppressing your immune system, leaving you anxious, sad and more vulnerable to illness.’

Now imagine, in order to relieve stress, you do a hard HIIT workout. ‘This kind of workout adds adrenaline and pressure to your system. It’s like trying to put out a fire with petrol. It might feel cathartic but there’s a big difference between using exercise to

‘MAKE IT SOMETHING YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS TO DO’

release anger and to manage stress’ he says. Instead, Jameson suggests adding in more long, slow, steady-state cardiovascular rhythmic activity, such as running or cycling. ‘The rhythmic, repetitive part of this is important here: it helps you switch off, get mental detachment, gives you a great psychological escape and an endorphin release.’

DECIDE ON YOUR GOAL

Missing the element of competition that comes from being surrounded by other people? ‘There’s a collective energy in a class that’s hard to replicate,’ admits Jameson. One way to do this is with online fitness combining hardware and software. For example, Peloton [a stationary bike linked to classes] makes you feel like you’re in the room with others. ‘Seeing the other people on the leader board gives you the competitive element you need.’ Or you could sign up for a regular Zoom class with others.

You can also redefine your goals. ‘People often find they get motivation from doing a big push for charity – physical challenges you can either set yourself, or organised ones, such as last year’s online London Marathon. Decide on a physical goal, such as running 10K in 60 minutes – then register with your charity, and tell everyone about it.

‘When you start to hit your physical goals, you’ll find looking good is a consequence of being fit, and seeing progress will spur you on more.’

Remember, weight is not a good barometer of success. A better one is mobility: it’s easy to measure and it changes fast. You can take Jameson’s mobility challenge, which he devised for the health brand Symprove – it takes just 10 minutes a day for 10 days. ‘You quickly see progress and there’s nothing more motivating than that,’ he says. Find the challenge on Instagram at bit.ly/391lmbn.

FINE-TUNE YOUR FUEL

When you’re working out at home, there’s the option to eat at any time. But should you exercise on an empty stomach or fuel up first? ‘If you’re doing any form of exercise before 10am, do it on an empty stomach,’ explains Jameson. ‘I usually have black coffee before my workout.’

But what about those of us who feel faint if we don’t eat? ‘Just a small, easily digestible source of energy – a juice or a smoothie or half a banana for carbohydrates. Nothing to fill you up. After training, eat a proper meal within 10 to 15 minutes.’

BOOST ENERGY VIA YOUR GUT

It’s really common to feel stressed, lethargic and low right now. One thing that may improve all of those symptoms is via your gut health, specifically increasing the diversity of your gut bacteria, which connects with both stress and feelgood hormones.

‘Your gut produces 90% of your serotonin,’ says Jameson. ‘People can often confuse mood and energy, but they go hand in hand. It’s very rare to feel really happy and tired at the same time.’

What to do? Eat a varied, plant-based diet, try taking probiotics, use stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, make time for sleep, and exercise, even when you don’t feel like it.

‘EXPECTING TO BREAK RECORDS AT THIS POINT IS UNREALISTIC’

GO BACK TO EARLY BEDTIMES

Working from home, a lot of us have shifted our sleep patterns so we get up later and go to bed later. Go back to your old, early bedtime, advises Jameson. ‘There are enormous benefits to having the same bedtime and waking time each day,’ he says. ‘And if you get up at the same time you used to, you’re blessed with that extra time for exercise. The earlier in the day you work out, the more likely you are to do it.’