Building strength is about helping your body cope better with everyday demands – sitting, standing, lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling. And you can do a lot for your health with very little equipment, space or time. You do not need gym membership, heavy weights or complicated routines. In fact, some of the most effective strength work uses simple movements you already do in daily life.

Key Movements to Support Your Health

• Push movements – using your arms and upper body to push something away
• Pull movements – drawing something towards you, important for posture
• Standing / squat movements – getting up and down
• Hinge movements – bending at the hips to lift safely
• Core stability – supporting and controlling movement
• Leg strength & balance – how we walk, climb stairs and move confidently
• Carrying & holding – real-life strength for everyday loads

Core stability helps you stay steady and supported during everyday movement. It plays a role in how comfortably you stand, walk, lift, carry and even sit at your desk. This isn’t about getting a six-pack. It’s about helping your body feel stronger and more controlled as you move through the day.

A plank doesn’t have to be done on the floor to be effective. Try this:

• Place your hands on a sturdy bench, table or kitchen counter

• Step your feet back so your body forms a straight line

• Keep your shoulders over your hands

• Gently brace your stomach muscles

• Hold the position while breathing steadily

That’s a plank. If you want more challenge over time, you can lower your hands to a lower surface or even the floor – but every version counts. You don’t need to hold this for long to benefit. A good starting point is 10 to 20 seconds, take a short break, and then repeat once or twice.

❄️ Beat the Cold February Challenge: Log 6 hours and get a £60 voucher! Still chilly out there? Wrap up, get moving, and show winter who’s boss — one activity at a time.

📅 February Ten Days Active Challenge: Just ten active days this month. Very doable, very motivating, and a great way to keep momentum going 🔥.

🌊 ACG ARP: Chase the Coast: Inspired by the coast, powered by movement. Run, walk or ride your way through this scenic-inspired challenge.

🖤 Virtual NYRR Black History Month Challenge: Run 28 miles and move with purpose this February.

What are some of your life goals? To be the fastest 70-year-old in the world? Any active person would happily take that!

Our inspiration this week is Canadian Wendy James, who gave up running when her successful teenage running career came to an end with a horrible injury.

Told that she’d never run again, she got married, had kids, became a teacher. Until one day she was at the track with her son, and she fell in with the seniors. After 33 years she started training again.

Last year Wendy broke *4* world records, clocking 14.63 seconds over 100m.

Hats off to you Wendy, a proper inspiration for not letting age be a barrier and remembering the things you’d wanted once upon a time.

Watch the CBC Sports interview with Wendy on Instagram.