With Leslie Kleiner – Registered Physiotherapist

Staying safe at home looking to stay active? You are not alone! Make the most out of this time and maintain a regular exercise routine. At Altum Health, we value health and wellness and want to help keep you motivated. We have put together some easy, no-equipment exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home.

1 – Bridge

Laying on your back with your knees bent, push through your heels and squeeze your buttock muscles to lift your hips toward the ceiling, then return to the start position. Try 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. This is a great exercise for strengthening the buttock muscles that we sit on all day!

2 – Clamshell

Laying on your side with your knees bent to 90 degrees, slowly lift and lower the top knee. Keep your pelvis stable and your core active. Try 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. This is a great exercise to improve pelvis alignment during standing activities and for preventing knee pain!

3- Plank

Set up on your forearms and tip toes, tuck your pelvis to activate your core, and hold for 20-30 seconds, 2-3 sets. You can modify this by lowering down onto your knees. This is a great exercise to strengthen your core and prevent back pain!

4 – Sit to stand

Sit down onto a chair, without using the arm rests, stand up and then sit back down. Repeat 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. This is a great exercise to strengthening all of your thigh muscles!

5 – Calf raises

Standing next to a wall that you can hold onto if needed, lift up onto your tip toes and then lower back down to the ground. Repeat 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. To make this harder, try doing it only on one leg (make sure you hold on to something for balance)! This is a great exercise to keep your ankles strong and to help with push off while walking!

If you are dealing with an injury, the above exercises might not be appropriate for you. We recommend consulting a health care practitioner prior to trying any of the above exercises. Remember, if you are working from home, try to stay active by changing positions every 30-60 minutes (ex. stand, walk, stretch, or sit a little differently) to avoid muscle and joint pain. If you are not quarantined, we also recommend going for a walk each day (at a 2-meter distance from others) for cardiovascular health.

Stay safe everyone!