I have mentioned before that I have been starting most mornings with Joe Wicks. Given my age and general state of fitness, I haven’t been following the daily PE with Joe sessions, although a million other people have.

Instead I have been following his videos for seniors. Each of the five different workouts takes you through a 10 minute set of exercises, which can be varied to suit your capabilities.

I bought a Fitbit a couple of years ago to encourage me to get out for a walk each day. My daily step rate was never very high, reaching 8k or more on a good day. I achieved my highest rate ever of 23k  when I took the grandsons to Disneyland Paris last year. I have been alarmed to see that whilst in self-isolation I have rarely got above 4k.

Apart from a dance class I once attended at a health centre (and a long since abandoned involvement in fencing when I was at University), I have never really taken to exercise or sport, so following fitness videos is new for me. In fact, I am very surprised to find I actually look forward to them each morning.

Whilst I am enjoying doing Joe Wicks’ routines, I am now looking around for some variety, hopefully in a dance context. A couple of days ago I found a 30 minute Caribbean Dance Workout which is quite aerobic and certainly fun. The first time I did it I flailed around a bit, very pleased that no-one was watching me, and dropped out after 10 minutes. Today I was beginning to get the hang of the moves and lengthened my stay to 15 minutes. I’ve also found some 5 minute African Dance lessons which look like fun.

Some people have suggested Scottish Dancing, which I know I would love, although most of those dances really do involve other people. Any other recommendations?

Please note

We have been in full self-isolation since 16th March to protect my husband whose immune system is compromised.

If you are in self-isolation then join the Lib Dems in self-isolation Facebook group.

You can find my previous Isolation diaries here.

* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.