5 MINUTE FIXES

Don’t have much time to exercise? No problem! These super-quick workouts mean you can improve your fitness, strength and posture in the time it takes to make a cup of tea 

- JOEL SNAPE

ONE of the toughest aspects of exercise is finding the time to do it. Even carving out just 30 minutes a couple of times a week can feel impossible.

But everyone has five minutes: it’s only about a third as long as people spend looking for something to watch on Netflix.

Although it might not seem like much, if you do it at least three times a week, you will start to see results – and you’ll be building the foundations of a long-term habit.

So pick an area to work on, set a timer and just do it!

FOR BETTER POSTURE

"Posture is really about back strength," says British physiotherapist and Pilates instructor Helen O'Leary. "The more the muscles in the back of your body work, the more they will hold you up against gravity. Use these three movements in a circuit, doing each once.

Prone press

"Lie on your stomach with your hands by your chest and your nose hovering above the floor. Press your pubic bone into the floor to create a stable base. Press down into your hands and imagine you are pressing the floor awaythis will start to send your upper chest off the floor. Pause with your lowest ribs on the floor, take a breath and then lower back down. As you improve, try lifting your hands at the top of the movement to see if you can hold yourself up"

Pilates swimming

"Very much a progression of the prone press - this will test your endurance as well as your core control," O'Leary says.

"Start as before, this time reaching your arms and legs away from each other as if you're being pulled apart in a tug of war. You should end up with both feet and hands off the floor.