HOW TO GET FIT AT HOME... AND SAVE MONEY

THE lockdown has forced many of us to adopt home fitness routines because gyms are closed – and these can save you money.

There has also been a boom in TV and online fitness tutorials. Many are free while experts such as ‘The Body Coach’ Joe Wicks can charge £42 a month. Some people have even built their own gyms – with gadgets such as the £2,000 internet-connected ‘Peloton’ cycle enjoying a sales hike.

But thanks to an ease of restrictions on outdoor exercise there are plenty of free apps that can also help keep you motivated. Among these is the ‘Couch to 5K’ app that aims to get you off the sofa and run 5km in half an hour after ten weeks.

Anyone who wants to build up muscles may consider the ‘30 Day Ab Challenge’ instead. It involves getting in shape with a variety of sit-ups, stomach crunches, planks, leg raises and body twists.

Or if all that strenuous exercise seems just like too much stress, the free ‘Simply Yoga’ app enables you to find that much-needed inner calm in a crisis. You are guided through limb-stretching exercises that start at 20 minutes – but can last up to an hour.

Those who believe a fancy new gadget will provide that necessary incentive to get outside should consider a fitness tracker wristband that monitors how many steps you take a day, calories burned and time spent running. Favourites include the £129 Fitbit Charge 4 and the £399 Apple Watch Series 5.