Take care when working-out at home
With rising living costs and a general tightening of the purse-strings, it’s no surprise that over 20 million (65 per cent) women are shunning high gym membership fees for a cheaper work-out – in their living rooms – according to research from Sheilas’ Wheels Home Insurance.
However, with the average UK lounge containing just over two metres squared of free space, working-out indoors is proving to be a minefield for personal injury and accidental damage to the home - leading to nearly a fifth of women (18 per cent) who exercise indoors being involved in accidents while working-out.
However, keeping fit in the comfort of your own home should not mean relaxing into bad habits or unsafe practices.
Diana Moran, 80’s breakfast television icon and ‘The Green Goddess’, has provided tips to protect yourself and your home during your work-out:
- Dress appropriately. Make sure your trousers aren’t long enough to trip over and your t-shirts are well fitted so they don’t get caught on furniture, fixtures and fittings
- Adapt your work-out to the amount of free space you have in your living area. If you don’t have a huge amount of room, opt for toning exercises such as sit-ups, squats or lifting small weights
- If your children and pets are constantly running around the house causing chaos, wait until the children are out of the house or in bed, and the pets are shut in another room, to start your in-door regime
- Use the equipment you have around you. Your stairs are made for step-ups and a baked bean tin makes a great do-it-yourself weight
- If you’re attempting the latest craze of ‘naked yoga’ or make-shift gymnastics, make sure the curtains are closed – unless of course you’re keen to provide entertainment for the whole neighbourhood!
Before exercising at home, also check whether your home insurance policy covers you for accidental damage. Replacing smashed vases, light fittings or even a TV could be very costly!
Sheilas’ Wheels used the independent online research company Fly Research who surveyed 1,000 females from across the UK, aged 18 and over, on Thursday, 5th June 2008.
