Between hosting Woman’s Hour, presenting Countryfile, writing books, working on the podcast Sisters Of Defiance and travelling around the world, Anita Rani is a very busy woman. Which makes it all the more impressive that she finds time to prioritise her health and wellbeing.
How does she do it? Lucky us – we’ve got all the answers, having chatted with Anita, 48, all about how she approaches fitness, nourishment and rest. And it turns out the presenter is an excellent source of wellbeing inspiration... and not just because she has great taste in little treats (salt and vinegar crisps are her favourite, FYI).
‘I’m someone who really loves exercising,’ Anita tells Good Housekeeping. ‘I’m one of those annoying people who actually enjoys it.’ But while she’s ‘always’ exercised and eaten well, her approach to fitness has had to adapt as she’s entered her 40s – and she’s still getting used to this as she approaches 50.
‘The older you get, you’re just so aware of your body,’ Anita shares. ‘Wear and tear takes its toll. I’m learning to listen to my body and not push too much. Energy is really important to me, and longevity, and I want to live vibrantly, so I’m working on protecting it.’
A prime example of this adjustment? Anita recently fell off a bike and landed herself a shoulder injury. Having to take exercise slower, to do physio and to not be able to do the full extent of her usual routine, is, as she puts it ‘doing my head in’. ‘My challenge right now is to slow myself down, do little exercises to build back up and then get back into my full-blown routine of doing what I like.’
Anita’s usual routine isn’t super regimented. Instead, she does a mix of all the exercises she loves – running, calisthenics, martial arts. But there’s one type of movement in particular that she always comes back to, and one piece of equipment she recommends for every woman. That’s kickboxing and a punching bag.
‘I’ve been doing martial arts since I was a kid,’ Anita tells us. ‘I did karate when all my friends were in tutus. When I moved to London, I joined a kickboxing gym and I loved it, but then stopped. I picked it back up about four years ago and I just love it.’
She adds: ‘I think exercising with a punching bag is really good for women. If you want to get some energy out, get the frustration out, that’s my top tip: take it out on a punching bag.’
Dr Colin Pennington, assistant professor and program director of the Exercise Science program at Gwynedd Mercy University, reckons Anita is spot-on with this advice. ‘The benefits of working with a punching bag are similar physiologically to what you would see doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) for cardio-respiratory endurance,’ Dr Pennington tells us. ‘That is, increased heart rate, respiratory rate and perspiration during exercise, with a particular benefit to cardio-respiratory health and caloric burn in the aftermath. A long-term adaptation of a consistent boxing or punching bag routine would be lowered resting heart rate, lower blood pressure and a higher VO2 max.’
As well as the cardio benefits, pummelling a punching bag can provide strength training. So, says Dr Pennington, you’ll get ‘increased bone mineral density, increased muscular strength, decreased sensitivity to muscular fatigue… which leads to improved body composition, which leads to a more efficient metabolism (i.e. burning more calories at rest).’
And, just as Anita suggests, there’s the potential for a mental health boost, too. ‘What’s unique about boxing training compared to traditional cardio or resistance training is it’s highly cathartic,’ says Dr Pennington. ‘The emotional release of punching a heavy bag for 30 straight seconds can’t be replicated by a 1-min plank or any number of miles ran. Midlife is a stressful time. There are personal and professional demands, in addition to countless other stresses. Exercise is one of the very best stress releases, complementing not just your physical health, but also emotional and psychological health. Boxing or heavy bag training has a particular benefit in the emotional health domain in addition to the physical health domain.’
Scroll down and you’ll find a 20-minute beginner’s routine created especially for GH by Dr Pennington, along with tips for success from personal trainer Anwen Davies. But before we get there, let’s dive back into other interesting tidbits from Anita Rani.
For one thing, her favourite indulgence. Anita has had a jam-packed few months, working on Countryfile along with a new series on Channel 4, called Aldi: The Next Big Seller. That’s meant a lot of time spent on the road filming, and a slightly different diet to usual. ‘I’ve been eating a lot of sandwiches and crisps,’ says Anita. ‘I love crisps. Anything salt and vinegar – Chipsticks, Squares... the saltier, the vinegar-ier, the better.’ Drinks-wise, it’s a spicy marg all the way.
But she’s not too worried about having a slightly less healthy period – for Anita, it’s all about balance. So sure, she might have a bag of crisps for lunch, but then she’ll have something nourishing for dinner. ‘I do not believe in diets,’ Anita tells us. ‘I don’t like this idea that we tell women to deprive themselves – it really bothers me. I think learning to nourish yourself properly is far more important than going, “Cut this out, cut that out.” I think it should always be “add in” rather than “cut out”. Put in more fruit, more veggies, more berries, more nuts.’
One key component of Anita’s wellbeing is prioritising consistent rest. She says: ‘The most important thing for me is sleep.’ Recording shows such as Woman’s Hour requires early starts, so the presenter aims for a 10pm bedtime – and is ‘one of those annoying people’ who’s able to fall asleep the moment her head hits the pillow. This means she doesn’t need any sort of elaborate pre-sleep routine, but she does like to read a little before bed, and now and again she’ll give herself a little foot massage pre-slumber.
In short: Anita’s approach to wellness is refreshingly simple. It’s all about doing what feels best for your body and nailing the basics. That follows through in her final top tip she left us with in the interview. ‘Just move,’ she advises. ‘Whatever it is. If you can’t bear the thought of going to a Pilates class, you don’t have to. You don’t even have to leave the house. Put on your favourite song, close the door, turn the volume up and just dance with wild abandon. Do that once a day and that’s it. You’re in your body and it will all align.’
Anita Rani co-hosts Aldi: The Next Big Seller, which airs on Channel 4 every Thursday at 8pm from 5 November until 17 December
A 20-minute beginner’s punching bag routine
By Dr Colin Pennington:
Warm up: 2 min of arm circles, torso twists, and shadowboxing at low-intensity effort. Shadowboxing means throwing ‘air’ punches but not hitting the bag.
The first round begins after the warm-up with throwing right and left jabs at the bag. Focus on finding a rhythm. Throw one punch at full extension while your non-punching arm is in tight on your chest just under your chin. Throw a punch, then switch arms. Maintain this at tempo for three minutes. Choose an arm to be your first punch. Typically, if you’re right-handed, your first punch will be your right hand; your left is the follow-up. To get into a rhythm, exhale each time you throw your right-hand lead punch. Inhale each time you throw your left-hand follow-up punch.
The second round is throwing jabs, but with added rotational power for 3 min. In this round, attempt to stay in the same rhythm. When you draw back to throw your right-hand punch, rotate at the hips and waist 90°, then snap your core and abdominal muscles like a torqued rubber band as you throw the punch. Aim for three minutes at the same tempo. You can download a metronome app on your phone to time out one punch per second to start.
Round three involves footwork. It’s also three minutes. This time, throw alternating right/left jabs as you rotate around the bag 360°. If you'd like, set three 1-minute timers on your phone so you change direction you’re rotating at each one minute interval.
Round four is high-intensity interval training. You’ll need a timer for this. In all-out fury, alternate right and left jabs with as much power as possible generated from the lower body for 20 seconds. At 20 seconds. then disengage your arms and rotate around the bag 360° for 10 seconds. Then switch back to all-out right/left jabs with power, then rotate 360° in the other direction for 10 seconds. Repeat these intervals for three minutes.
Then it’s a cooldown that includes upper body stretches, wrist release and forearm stretches and deep breathing.
Top tips for exercising with a punchbag
By Anwen Davies, a certified personal trainer and product developer at Net World Sports:
Protect your hands. Wear hand wraps and properly fitted gloves every time. Wrists and knuckles are easily strained, especially when you’re starting from scratch.
Technique is more important than power.
Hitting hard with poor form is how injuries happen. Keep your wrists straight and turn your hips and shoulders with each punch.Don’t lock your elbows.
Keep a slight bend when your arm extends to protect the joint.Breathe out on each punch.
A short exhale as you punch keeps your breathing steady and stops you from holding your breath.Stay light on your feet.
Keep a soft bend in your knees and keep moving around the bag rather than staying in the same position.Start small and build up.
Two or three short sessions a week is a good starting point. Add rounds or time once it starts to feel easier and more natural.Pair it with strength training.
Workouts with the bag are great, but combining it with some weight or resistance work gives the best results for muscle and bone due to the variation in your training.Choose the right bag.
A free-standing bag works well in homes where you can’t mount anything to a ceiling or wall. Make sure it’s heavy enough not to tip or slide too much, as this can cause accidents.Speak to a doctor if needed.
If you have osteoporosis, joint problems, pelvic floor concerns or a heart condition, get advice before starting.Stay hydrated.
Hot flushes and night sweats can make you lose more fluid than you expect, so drink water before, during and after your session.