[Interview with Liverpool FC Women’s Physical Performance Coach] Two simple routines to kickstart your fitness plan!

2023-09-25

5 Mins Read

‘I must exercise to stay fit!’ is perhaps what many girls say to themselves every day. Life in Hong Kong however makes it easier said than done, as many have to juggle constantly between heavy workload and household chores.

For health and wellbeing, the World Health Organisation recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity for all adults. However, a recent survey by the Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association has found that 95% of women in the city don’t exercise enough, with 56% of them blaming workload, while more than 40% said they have no time to exercise because they have to take care of their family or housework¹.

But how can you take good care of your family without first having a healthy body? Therefore, don’t ever give yourselves excuses to miss exercise and neglect your health because you are too busy. As the Official Principal Partner of Liverpool FC, AXA has invited Danielle Williams, the Physical Performance Coach of Liverpool FC Women, to share her insights into having exercise as part of a daily routine. In Danielle’s eyes, keep exercising is not hard at all. With perseverance and dedication, women can be fearless of the challenges and become a better self!

Don’t set limits for exercise

As Danielle puts it, exercise is the most natural thing in life, it doesn’t have to be hard or take a huge amount of time. 'You can do even just body weight without a gym, you don’t need any equipment. You can do it anywhere you want!' That can be standing up for a few minutes every 20 minutes in the office, or squatting against the wall after finishing some house work, it counts as exercise so long as it gets the body moving.

Make exercise joyful

Exercise can dispel sadness and invoke happy emotions. That’s why Danielle recommends putting just a bit of time aside every morning for exercise, which helps lift your mood and injects positive energy for the rest of your day. This sense of happiness can improve your mental and physical health, and in turn motivates you to exercise more.

Simple exercise makes devotion easy

As Danielle reminds us, don’t think of exercise as a tough task, the purpose of it should just be moving your body, something as simple as lunges and squatting which do not require machines or equipment can help with the muscles and joints. Take just 15 to 20 minutes a day and follow Danielle in these 2 simple routines below:

Squatting

1. Open up your feet to about shoulder width apart
2. Sit down as if you are sitting on a chair. If you want to use your hands to balance, you can put them in the front
3. Bend at the knees, bend to the hips and keep your chest up
4. When the bend is 90 degrees, push the floor away and stand up
5. Repeat for 8 to 10 times, then rest for a minute and repeat 3 times more

Lunges

1. Pull one leg back, and lower the knee to the ground
2. Keep your balance and repeat for 5 times
3. Switch to the other leg, then pull it back for 5 times
4. Repeat for each side for 3 times

Watch the clip now to see the two simple routines demonstrated by Danielle Williams, Liverpool FC Women’s Physical Performance Coach.

1. am730 (Chinese version only): https://www.am730.com.hk/本地/調查-95-婦女運動不足-五成因工作太忙/364385
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