Fertility Fitness – Izzy Bradshaw’s Top Tips for a Home Workout

Right now we could all do with some positivity. With lock-downs in place around the world, what better way to prepare for fertility than with exercise? This is a great time to get fit for when things normalise. You don’t have to be outside to exercise. You can do it from home! With this in mind, we asked fitness guru, Izzy Bradshaw for her work-out tips. She’s also recorded a bespoke work-out for our FHH readers. Time to release some endorphins and maybe even try some fertility yoga!

Over to Izzy…

@izzy_bradshawfitness

When beginning any workout regimen (at home right now), the whole idea can seem quite overwhelming, mainly because we often aren’t quite sure where to start so we don’t get around to it. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling this way – it is totally normal, even for the fitness professionals out there.

So here are my top tips for starting your home workout regime with a bounce in your stride:

1. SPACE

Create a space in your house that is inviting, even if it is just one small corner. Ensure that the floor surface in this space is even.

2. ASK YOURSELF…

Important questions to ask yourself before you embark on any home workout plan are the following:

What sort of workouts do you enjoy?

• Do you like to do yoga, or more energetic HIIT (High Intensity Interval) workouts to keep you feeling positive? For each person this will tend to differ. It may also depend on how you’re feeling on any particular day, so having access to a plethora of different home workouts is always really useful. Get ready to give fertility yoga a try.

• Do you want to make this a regular thing that you build into your daily routine or do you want to workout every other day?

• How much time are you willing to dedicate to exercise when you do workout? 

• What time of the day would be best to workout?

• When are you going to be least disturbed? I find if I am up and getting disrupted by my husband or dogs, it can really throw me off. So think about the best time in your day to do this, where the time is yours and yours alone.

• Do you have workout gear that is going to make you excited about your new routine? I always find buying workout clothes when I start something new always makes it that much more appealing, so go online. Lululemon, Sweaty Betty, Fabletics, H&M and Next all have great ranges.

Related Podcast – Fertility Springboard Podcast – Fertility Yoga

3. WORK OUT PLAN

Once you are clear on all the above parameters, you can start honing in on the right workout plan for you. As a Personal Trainer, I always suggest to my clients exercise that yields the best results: whether it is to uplift mood, lose weight, or tone up, it really comes down to the one they most enjoy. Ultimately a workout regimen that you look forward to and enjoy is the one you will stick to, and really a healthy approach to exercise is one that you are happy to implement as a lifestyle change, as well as to prepare for fertility treatment or when trying to conceive. That is what we should all be looking for when we adopt home workouts.

4. EQUIPMENT

Once you have chosen the sort of workout programme you want to follow, what equipment will you need? Most likely this will involve one or two sets of weights and perhaps some resistance bands. Amazon really is fantastic for this and, if you have Prime, you can usually get them the next day if you don’t have them at home.

5. TIME OF DAY

My advice is to workout in the morning. Studies have shown that the later in the day, the less motivated we are, as we use up energy stocks until we go to bed. The other reason I advise morning workouts is that exercise releases endorphins and really does set your day off on the right footing. If you leave working out until later on in the day, chances are you are going to be far more likely to skip it and leave it until tomorrow, and it also doesn’t benefit your mood for the whole day if you workout later on.

6. GET A WORK OUT BUDDY

Connect with other women who would like to do it with you, so that you can have accountability and also fun knowing that you are working out at the same time! You can even create Zoom calls and do them together. There is a new app called “Houseparty” which will probably be just as effective.

7. HEALTHY BODY, HEALTHY MIND

These two really are inextricably linked. So, when you adopt this routine, try habit stacking this with something else before or after you workout that is “you time”, like guided meditation or personal development. Books focused on developing mindset have totally changed my approach and therefore my happiness. Don’t skip this one. What you will find is that if you make time to do this, you’ll be far more likely to get your workout in.

8. DIET

Eat healthily. Be organised and ensure that you have healthy food on your shopping list. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and really minimise sugary snacks as much as you can. What you also find when you exercise at home is that you are more likely to fancy eating healthy food, so make the most of it. On the flip side with the lockdown, if our cupboards contain unhealthy foods, then guess what’s going to happen? So nip that one in the bud by skipping those unhealthy options altogether in the supermarket. Find healthy alternatives for your favourite treats.