Exercises to help you feel stronger

Hi, I'm Adrian, a pulmonary rehabilitation exercise instructor.

This routine is about 10 minutes and includes movements to help you feel stronger.

If you are new to this or you need to follow a gentle routine today, follow Ellie. If you are building your strength and you're feeling like you'd like to do a little more today, follow Diven. If you're feeling confident to do more and your breathing is strong today, follow Steve.

Our first exercise is the sit to stand. This movement will help build your mobility and strengthen your legs. It can also help with your balance. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit at the edge of your seat with your back straight and feet hip width apart.

Lean forward with your nose over your toes, push up and stand up.

Try not to use your hands as you do this.

Sit back down as controlled as possible.

If you'd like a more gentle routine today, you can stand behind the chair, hold it, and do some shallow squats. Ellie is demonstrating this.

If you are supporting yourself on the back of a chair, make sure it's a sturdy base of support and just lightly hold the top of your chair as you complete your knee bends.

If you feel like building your strength today, you can also try starting by sitting further back in your chair, as Diven is demonstrating.

If you are feeling confident and strong today, you can try holding weights, like a book or tins from the cupboard, while doing this, and you can also sit further back in your chair. Steve is demonstrating this.

And stopping there. Well done.

This activity aims to build your mobility and strengthen your arms. Try to do 10 reps of this. If you'd like a more gentle routine today, you can try this sitting down like Ellie.

Sit or stand with your back straight and your feet hip width apart.

Place your hands against the wall at shoulder height, bend your elbows and slowly lean into the wall.

Touch your nose to the wall if you can or just get close and then push away.

Follow what Diven is doing if you're building your strength today.

Sit or stand with your back straight and feet hip width apart.

Place your hands against the wall at shoulder height, bend your elbows and lean into the wall.

Touch your nose or get your face close to the wall and then push away.

If you're feeling more confident and strong today, you can try this by standing further from the wall or doing this on your tiptoes, like Steve is doing.

Sit or stand with your back straight and your feet hip width apart.

Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, bend your elbows slowly and lean into the wall, getting your face close to the wall and then push away.

We'll be completing 10 repetitions of this exercise aiming to blow as you go.

Well done, that's a lovely tempo.

Good control.

Again, if this does feel too difficult for you, you can shuffle a little bit closer to the wall to make things easier.

Last one. And stopping there. Well done.

This activity helps to build the strength in your legs. It also improves your balance. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit or stand with your back straight and your feet hip or shoulder width apart.

If you're using a balance support, place your fingertips on a stable surface.

Slowly lift your heels by pressing through your toes and then slowly return them back to the ground and we'll complete this 10 times.

Well done.

So a really good exercise for improving your balance.

Follow Ellie, if you'd like a more gentle movement today. If you're feeling like building your strength today, try doing this standing up, as Diven is demonstrating. If you're feeling confident and strong today, try doing this standing but without using a surface to support you, like Steve.

Well done everyone, keep going.

You're almost there and that's 10.

Well done.

This routine will build your strength in your arms and your shoulders. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit or stand with your back straight and your feet hip width apart.

Put your arms out in front of you at shoulder height if you can.

If you're not holding on to any weights, clench your hands into fists and then bring your arms in and out slowly until you completed five punches with each arm.

Off you go.

Follow Ellie, if you'd like a more gentle routine today. If you're feeling like building your strength, try this standing up, like Diven is showing. If you're feeling confident and strong today, try doing this standing up but holding small weights in each hand, like a tin of food from the cupboard. Steve is demonstrating this.

Well done everyone. Doing really well and stopping once you've done your 10 repetitions.

Well done.

Our next exercise is the wall slides, or leg extensions if you're seated.

So for the wall slides, standing nice and upright and have your feet about foot's length off the wall and hip width apart. You're going to gently lean into the wall so that your back is supported.

From there, when I say start, you're going to bend at the knees, sliding down the wall as far as you feel comfortable, and then straightening the knees to come back up.

Ellie is going to be doing a seated exercise and she'll be doing the leg extension, working the same muscle groups as the wall slide. She's going to be lifting one foot off the floor at each time, extending the knee, holding for a few seconds before going back down.

If you are feeling confident and strong today, you can try holding weights, like a book or tins from the cupboard, while doing this.

When you're ready, off you go.

So for the wall slides, we're aiming for 10 repetitions in total, and for the leg extensions we're going to do 10 on each leg.

Well done.

Three more for the wall slides or squats.

And the last one for the wall slides.

Excellent. Well done.

Bicep curls will help to build strength in your arms. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Stand up or sit down with your back straight and your feet hip width apart.

Keep your elbows at your waist and raise a small weight, like a tin of food, in each hand towards your body.

You're going to bend at the elbow, curling the weight up towards your shoulder.

Off you go.

If you'd like a gentle routine today, raise one weight at a time rather than both at the same time, or try a lighter weight, as Ellie is demonstrating. If you're feeling like building your strength, try the routine standing, as Diven is demonstrating. If you're feeling strong and confident today, follow Steve.

You could stand up and raise some heavier weights.

Well done, and again, stopping once you've completed 10 repetitions.

And stopping there. Well done.

Hip extensions will help you to mobilise your hips. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit or stand up straight with your feet hip width apart.

Place your fingertips on the surface in front of you and slowly lengthen your leg behind you.

Slowly return your leg back to the standing position and try to avoid leaning forwards.

When you're ready, off you go.

If you'd like a more gentle routine today, try sitting down and pushing both feet towards the floor, as if you are gripping something to the floor. Ellie is demonstrating this. If you feel like building your strength today, follow Diven. If you're feeling strong and confident today, follow Steve.

You could try not leaning against the surface or holding the position for longer.

If you're standing, complete five repetitions on each leg, and if you're sitting down, complete the ten repetitions of pressing through the floor as Ellie is demonstrating.

Doing really well everyone.

It is a difficult one for your balance.
Well done.

This activity will help to build the strength in your arms. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit or stand with your back straight and your feet hip width apart.

Start with your arms by your side.

Raise your weights by pulling them up towards your armpits whilst keeping your feet flat on the floor.

Whenever you're ready, off you go, aiming to complete ten repetitions.

If you'd like a more gentle routine today, you can sit down and alternate weights in each hand or use both hands to hold onto one weight, like Ellie is doing. If you feel like building your strength today, follow Diven. If you're feeling strong and confident today, follow Steve.

You could try heavier weights and raise them up to your shoulders instead of your armpits.

Final few repetitions and stopping there.
Well done everyone.

Knee lifts will help strengthen your core and help your balance. Try to do 10 reps of this.

Sit or stand with your back straight, feet hip width apart.

If you're seated, try and make sure you're at the front of your chair.

Raise your legs individually and lower them slowly.

When you're ready, off you go.

So again, completing ten repetitions each side if we can.

If you are using a balance support, making sure it's stable and just resting your hand there for some added balance.

If you would like a more gentle routine today, follow Ellie. If you feel like building your strength today, you could start marching on the spot lifting one knee at a time while holding a surface for support, like Diven. If you're feeling strong and confident, you can march on the spot without any support, like Steve.

Well done. So you should start to feel this one working in your hip muscles.

So two more on each side.

And last one, stopping there. Well done.