We rarely hear of the need to keep our tendons healthy. But we know that our balance gets worse as we age. The things we need to do to keep our tendons healthy also help us better sense the position and movement of our joints.

As we age, our ability to sense the position and movement of our joints degrades, even in very active older people. This loss is more severe in inactive people and leads to a less stable gait and more falls.

This is why it helps to think of regular daily exercise as a means of living longer better by avoiding falls - and also looking better longer with an upright posture. Your aim is not to build muscles and exhaust yourself; it is to improve your balance. In doing that, you'll need to build more muscle, but that outcome is a side-effect.
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The best program to combat loss of balance is a combination of aerobic, balance and strength exercises. This combination keeps our tendons healthy, as well as our ligaments and muscles.

Pull-ups are a fantastic pull exercise, and we don't do enough pull exercises. That's why we see so many rounded-hunched shoulders in the gym, and they look bad on men and even worse on women (because it makes them look so much older).

It's a shame to see people putting in all that work and building a poor posture instead of a stronger one. Pulls-ups develop a more robust and more attractive posture. If you can do one proper pull-up, I'll show you how to build that up to 15.

Since the lockdown began, I have had to stop doing my more intense strength exercises at the gym - I used to go three times weekly. Like you, I've read that our muscles "turn to fat" when we stop exercising.

That's a scary thought, especially after 20 years of progressively building my muscular strength and endurance.
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There's good news and bad news. The good news is that our muscles don't turn to fat - that's not even remotely true. The bad news is that our bodies will accumulate more fat if we continue to eat the same amount as we did with more muscle.

At-home workouts often lack a good pull exercise. People, in general, don't do enough pulling movements, even when the gym is open.

There are two I recommend. Add these to your routine as otherwise, you'll not be getting the total body benefits you need during #StayAtHome.
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When the gym was open, I always rowed every session and did other pull exercises such as rope pulls and cable pulls. I don't have that access now.

If you had to choose just one at-home exercise - using no weights and no equipment - for both cardio and strength, which one would you choose?

I must admit, I took a while to agree with myself that it would be burpees. I was hesitant because most people hate burpees. 

That's half-true at least. There's always the "I did 100 burpees a day" brigade, which makes it seem not so bad. 

But there's a catch. It depends on your outlook. My outlook is always to get the best Return On Exercise. 

With the restrictions on crowds, and in some places of the world on being within 1m of other people, it's likely you might not have access to your gym.

You can do these bodyweight exercises at home, and they will keep you fit.

​You'll find them a good challenge, and at the same time feel good they work across your whole body.

I go to gym 3 times a week, but I also like training outdoors. Running 5km twice a week adds more than just fitness; it also gets me out into the weather and nature.

A little little bit of rain; a hot, sweaty day; wind pushing into your face; a new sandtrap on the trail; a family with a dog that you have to navigate safely past - all make you feel as if you are alive.

But it is not running that will give your fitness a big boost.

Most people outdoors are walking or jogging. There are a few runners, and also, rarely, someone adding in a bit extra - perhaps running up a ramp.
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With a little bit of imagination, you can add in some training that will significantly boost your fitness.
It is free pure no-equipment exercise available to everyone.