Stay active
Exercise at home
Some people we spoke to struggled to find ways to stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It isn’t always possible to get out for activity, but there are plenty of options for exercising at home. On this page we make you aware of five of the many options you have for exercising at home.
I’m less physically active. I have problems walking sometimes as I’m not exercising. Being in lockdown I can’t get any exercise.
A person with dementia explaining the difficulties of staying active to our researchers
As with any new activity, listen to your body and ask your doctor for advice if you’re not sure whether something is right for you.
I have a weekly zoom exercise class which is good for my back.
A person with dementia telling our researchers about how they continued to exercise
Love to Move from British Gymnastics
The British Gymnastics Foundation have created the Love to Move Programme. This is ‘an age and dementia friendly seated gymnastics programme which is transforming the lives of people living with dementia’.
On their website you will find four videoed sessions so that you can do the programme from the comfort of your own home. There is also an exercise booklet you can download.
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy – Stay active at home
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy have put together a simple set of 6 exercises to help with strength and balance. On this page you’ll find an explainer animation, pictures of the different exercises and a downloadable poster if you want to print it out.
Five in Five from We Are Undefeatable
We Are Undefeatable is a movement which supports people with a range of long-term health conditions. They offer lots of ideas on ways to stay active which work for you.
Five in Five is a customisable mini-workout. You choose 5 activities from the selection and do each exercise for 1 minute each. There is a downloadable booklet of activities to choose from so you can plan your ‘Five in Five’.
10 Today
This exercise programme from Sport England and Demos is designed for older people. On the website there are 10 episodes of different routines for you to try at home. Each one is about 12 minutes long.
Slow and gentle yoga
One of the internet stars to come out of lockdown was Adrienne of ‘Yoga with Adrienne’. Yoga is a great form of exercise if you want something which relaxes you while you exercise.
We have selected the ‘Slow and Gentle Yoga’ session, but there are many more videos by Adrienne if you like yoga. Pick the ones which work for you.
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Exercise at home
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