Staying both mentally and physically fit and healthy can be tough when you’re stuck at home – which is exactly why we’re sharing our FitFans tips and tricks with the Leicester Tigers community.

FitFans is a club-led initiative designed to get supporters of all ages moving, and we’re rolling the programme out as part of our ‘Well-being Week’ to encourage everyone to stay active, even at home.

We’ll post new sessions to LeicesterTigers.com every Tuesday, so check back regularly for your FitFans fix!

Without further ado, here’s session one – ‘Start Your Day Right’…

THOUGHTS OF THE ‘SESH’: Fitness Testing

Fitness testing is a great tool to measure and track the success of your fitness journey. By setting your levels at the start of the block, it means you’ve got something to build on through the programme. Set yourself a goal and put a date on it to test yourself again.

If you can try to exercise at least once a day – no matter how big or small – and eat the right way, you’ll be smashing it and keeping up that healthy lifestyle!

FOOD OF THE WEEK: Porridge

Those handy oats have always been recommended as the ‘right way’ to start the day, but no one has ever really explained why…

As it turns out, the benefits of eating porridge are even bigger than you might imagine. Recent studies have found that for every 28g of porridge consumed (a small bowl), the likelihood of developing heart disease is reduced by nine per cent.

• fills you up more and releases energy slowly throughout the day
• helps reduce the risk of heart disease
• oat-based porridge can help reduce cholesterol and is high in protein
• contains Vitamin B and Iron
• encourages the growth of good bacteria in the bowel

Obviously, those benefits are exactly the same for children too. Why not spend the morning having porridge together seeing who can make the best porridge face?

You could use ingredients like berries (for a mouth), chopped banana (for eyes), honey (for hair) and even nuts and seeds to build a face – all as an excuse to get your Tigers cubs eating healthily.

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK: Home Fitness Test

Consider this your benchmark. Spend 30 seconds on each of the exercises below, and try to do as many as you can – then write it down.

Move on to the next one when you are ready and complete for 30 seconds, until you’ve tried all six exercises. Keep your record safe so you can come back and re-test.

• Squats – keep your feet shoulder width apart and squat as if you’re about to sit on a chair
• Press-ups – you can do these with your full body or just from your knees by putting them on the floor
• Crunches – on your back, bend your legs to 45 degrees and keep your feet flat on the floor – place your hands on your thighs and sit forward and back trying to bring your hands up to your knees or just past them
• Mountain climbers – starting in the same position as a full-body press-up, once there bring your legs up to your chest alternatively and repeat, as if you’re climbing a steep mountain face
• Tricep dips – sit on a chair and slide to the edge of it with your hands behind you on the edge of the chair – shuffle your feet and body out until your arms are taking your weight – once there bend and straighten your arms
• Russian twists – sit on the floor, legs bent in front of you with your feet crossed, and twist to each side with the aim of touching the floor and keeping yourself upright

Feel free to change the length of time you spend on each exercise to fit in with you and your fitness goals.

Do the same with how many times you want to complete this circuit – one is fine, but could you do another? Or how about setting aside half an hour each morning to run through these six exercises?

You can even do this with your kids and create a family competition! Who’s going to be the best?

And, most importantly, don’t forget to stretch properly before and after exercise – you can do this!

The FitFans programme is led by Tigers health education officer Ashleigh Theobald. You can find out more by using the button below, or by visiting the FitFans Instagram page and Facebook group for more ideas on how to stay active at home.

For more information, email [email protected].