Five Exercises, Give or Take

What are five simple exercises to do at home?

Well, darling, I suppose I could give you five.

One: Squats.

Because apparently sitting down and standing back up is something we ought to practise deliberately now.

Two: Wall push-ups.

Much friendlier than throwing oneself dramatically onto the floor and discovering that getting back up is considerably more complicated.

Three: Lunges.

Although I maintain that anybody who has ever tried to walk gracefully in heels has already been doing these for years.

Four: Planks.

A splendid exercise in discovering precisely how long thirty seconds actually is.

And finally…

Five: Dancing.

Yes, I’m counting it.

Put on a song you love and move.

No equipment. No membership. No special outfit required. And nobody needs to know whether you’re doing the steps correctly.

Although, if you happen to know a little Lindy Hop, darling, you may find yourself having considerably more fun than you expected.

But here’s the thing.

We sometimes make exercise sound terribly complicated.

We need the right equipment. The right programme. The right shoes. The right amount of time.

And suddenly the idea of moving our bodies has become another item on the list of things we’re apparently doing wrong.

Perhaps it doesn’t have to be.

Perhaps you can squat while waiting for the kettle.

Stretch while the toast is burning.

Take the stairs.

Walk around the block.

Put on your favourite song and dance like nobody is watching.

Because they probably aren’t.

And if they are?

Give them something worth watching.

I’m certainly not suggesting that five minutes of dancing will magically solve every health problem in existence. But I do think there’s something wonderfully uncomplicated about simply moving.

Our bodies were never designed to spend the entire day sitting still while our brains run around like headless chickens.

So yes, here are my five:

Squats.

Wall push-ups.

Lunges.

Planks.

Dancing.

And if you don’t fancy any of those today?

Take a walk.

Stretch.

Put the kettle on.

Start again tomorrow.

Stay Fabulous,
Luce 💋