Everyone loves a “freebie”! Well, the good thing about this one, apart from being free is it’s good for you and a very time efficient way of including some movement in your day.

One of my favourites is stair climbing. It is actually a compound movement that engages many muscle groups, especially the large gluteal (backside) muscle group. At the same time, especially when you are doing each step up purposefully, with strength, you need to engage abdominal core muscles like psoas major, obliques and transversus. The thing about stairs is that they are pretty much everywhere. You don’t need a gym or anything special.

I’ll give you an example of how you can sneak in some stairs, even though you may think I’m a bit loopy! On a typical surgical operating list, I’ll have 4-6 surgeries. After finishing one surgery and before the next procedure starts there is often a 15-20 minute gap. Instead of sitting sedentary in front of the computer and doing random scrolling, it’s very easy to pop into the stair well and do 5-7 flights of stairs. Add this up over the course of a morning and there’s a nice little workout. No gym, no extra allocated time.

My other favourite free exercise is cycling to work. It takes just 30 minutes and is predominantly on bike tracks. If I had to cycle only on main roads I may think twice due to safety concerns. I love the roll into work because it freshens the mind and gives space and time to appreciate nature. Sometimes I’ll listen to a podcast. And honestly speaking, driving in traffic isn’t any faster. There is no petrol charge and it’s better for the environment, whilst at the same time, the body gets a workout. And on the way home it’s a great way to clear the head after a busy day.

Free exercise is always available at home especially with online apps and channels. Once you learn the basics of yoga you can do this in the comfort of your own home. Bodyweight exercises such as push ups, squats, lunges, and pull ups can be supplemented by some bands and light weights.

And walking. Let’s not underestimate the benefits of a stroll or brisk walk.

Try and establish a training mindset to see where you can include more movement. You have to look for the spaces and be proactive. If you don’t then the mind will always find an excuse. It’s too late. I’m too hungry. I’m not a morning person, and the list goes on.

Find a way and play the long game!