With King Charles' Coronation just around the corner, the country is readying itself to celebrate the historic milestone. Likewise, fans of the Royal family will be preparing for viewings and street parties galore.
But if you're looking to get in the festive spirit another way, then why not test out the monarch's gruelling fitness routine?
King Charles is said to be very fit compared to his peers, with Queen Camilla once comparing him to 'a mountain goat' on account of his love of walking.
Alongside his daily walks, the 74-year-old completes military fitness routine 5BX twice a day.
Keen to find out more about the royal-approved workout, I spoke to a fitness expert to find out if the plan really works, before giving it a go.
What is 5BX?
"The 5BX is a fitness plan that was created in the early 60s by Canadian Armed forces," explains Penny Weston, the fitness expert at the helm of the Made Wellness Centre.
"It is an eleven-minute plan with six levels containing a variety of exercises. The difficulty increases with each level, and the exercises include running on the spot, sit-ups and push-ups," she said.
"It was originally designed because the Canadian Armed forces found that a number of their pilots were overweight, as they were often based in remote locations with minimal access to fitness equipment.
"It was a way for them to achieve a good level of fitness, but in the minimum amount of time."
Is it worth trying?
"It's a tough workout, but definitely worth it. It is ideal for anyone looking to get fit that doesn't have much time on their hands," Penny explained.
"It is very similar to most of the HIIT classes we see now, so not much has changed. There are definitely some other exercises I would include in there though, such as glute bridges. They are a great way to build strength in your glutes but also stability in your core.
"I would also say that stretching pre and post exercise is just as important as the actual workout, and with the quick HIIT workouts a lot of people can forget about this.
Offering fitness advice, she added: "You can dedicate two days to resistance training, allowing muscles to tone. For building muscle, you want to focus on two muscle groups per session and to not work on the same muscles two days in a row as you want to allow them time to recover.
"For general fitness, if your goal is for endurance or burning calories, I recommend three days of cardio and two of strength training. If your goal is building strength, you can reverse that. You can also switch it each week."
Trying it out
If like me you'd never heard of 5BX before this month but fancy trying it, I'd recommend giving it a go; I also found this guide helpful.
As Penny said, the workout is very similar to modern HIIT classes, so it's easy to know what to expect in terms of the moves.
But as the charts increase they become noticeably more difficult.
You see, the plan includes a number of charts which each feature five set exercises. However, if there's a move you hate then you're out of luck, as similar moves are prescribed in each chart - albeit with modifications to increase the difficulty.
For instance, each chart involves some variation of push-ups, and by the end, you'll be challenged to try chest tap and clapping push-ups. Or for the uninitiated, like myself, push-ups where you push your arms off the floor before clapping or bringing both arms into your chest.
As such, it is worth working through the charts in the suggested order if you're keen to see this challenge through properly. The idea is you're supposed to work your way through the chart's levels until you can complete a certain number of reps, then level up.
Never one to listen to my own advice, I challenged myself to try chart three for the few days I gave this workout a go - in order to get a sense of the difficulty level, and it's no simple feat.
Even if I'd started at the very beginning, it wouldn't be the easiest challenge for me or any other average Joe.
Meanwhile, the later charts look especially daunting, on account of the complicated push-ups and straddle jumps. I won't offer that as a criticism of the plan, though. The workout does include the basics you need to build-up the necessary strength and endurance, provided you have the patience to work through them.
For me, the third chart solved the Goldilocks problem - it wasn't too easy or too hard but just right.
The stretches, sit-ups, and back extensions felt comfortable. It was only the push-ups, a weakness of mine, that I disliked. Although I did find the running on the spot tedious, so I chose to forego this and run for a mile instead, as the plan allows.
But even this change won't help the workout to jump to the top of my list of favourite fitness activities.
In keeping with its design, this plan is not fun but it is effective.
So it is easy to see why this efficient routine appeals to King Charles and anyone looking to get fit quick, or at least without spending hours in the gym.
I like the adaptability too, which gives it wider appeal. I'm willing to bet most fitness fans couldn't complete the final chart in one go on the first attempt (unless you're very skilled at straddle jumps, in which case, props to you).
Unfortunately, as we don't know the details of King Charles' plan, you can't fully compare yourself to him either. I'd hazard a guess the split jumps are not part of his daily routine, but kudos to him for his efforts.
Working out daily is quite the commitment, as I found out when I took on a running challenge of my own, and I'll never diss someone for trying.
Hopefully, King Charles would commend me for my efforts too - even if I've yet to work my way through all of the charts. After all, they are royally hard.
Do you plan to give the workout a go? Let us know in the comments below
