Get Fit From Home
If you have that extra bedroom to work with, a popular solution is to turn it into that home gym you've always wanted!!
Tips from the Gardner Team's Home & Lifestyle Magazine
As enthusiasm for a fresh start in the New Year inevitably fades, so does commitment to the gym. The cold winter mornings beg for a cup of coffee in bed instead of a trek across town to spend an hour on the elliptical machine. If your schedule, motivation, or physical limitations make working out a chore, you will want a simple, accessible, and affordable way to get fit in the comfort of your own home.
Home Workout Programs Offer Veriety and Convenience
At one time, Suzanne Somers's ThighMaster was all the rage and Billy Blanks's Tae Bo was king. Although both at-home exercise items are still for sale, they have been brushed aside in favor of the latest and greatest opportunity. Whether you're a committed gym rat who needs a change of pace or a beginner looking for alternative exercise options, you'll find there are plenty of ways to shape up from home and maintain your fitness goals for 2011. Late-night infomercials are wrought with muscle-defined men and women touting the latest machine, routine, or nutrition plan. Have you ever tried the Ab Flex, Leg Magic, Slendertone Flex, or Shake Weight? While it's likely most people haven't, some of these As Seen on TV products are making a legitimate splash.
P90X
One such infomercial that's transitioned into a full-fledged trend and buzz word in the fitness world is P90X. Available since 2004, P90X (formerly Power 90 Extreme) recently blossomed as a popular program. It's a combination of a three-phase nutrition plan and series of twelve at-home exercise DVDs that utilize the theory of muscle confusion. Led by energetic creator and trainer Tony Horton, this set of hour-long exercises includes varied workouts such as Plyometrics, yoga, and Kenpo (intense cardio with punching, kicking, and coordination). Areas of the body receive specialized attention with exercises for the chest, back, shoulders, arms, and core. Besides needing a six-by-six-feet space for the floor exercises, you will need to invest in the program itself, a set of dumbbells or lightweight resistance bands, and a chin-up bar.
Yoga
Take an alternative approach to muscle strengthening by streaming live yoga classes through the Internet to your living room. With companies such as Yogis Anonymous (www.yogisanonymous.com), you can have the benefits of an instructor, peers, and scheduled classes from the convenience of your own home. Check the Web site regularly for dates, times, and types of yoga classes to be broadcast live. If you prefer to perform tree pose and downward facing dog on your own schedule, look for yoga classes on demand, which are offered at specialized Web sites including My Yoga Online (www.myyogaonline.com) and YogaVibes (www.yogavibes.com). Such recorded classes are also offered in lieu of in-person memberships to studios like CorePower Yoga or offered for free on YouTube (www.youtube.com) by independent instructors.
‘Exergaming'
Bring yoga even further into the twenty-first century by using your in-home gaming console as an instructor. The practice coined "Exergaming"-when video games are used to aide in exercise-is clearly a sign of times. In an attempt to motivate gamers of all ages and their families, Nintendo's Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus systems make getting off the couch a breeze. Offering comprehensive fitness assistance, these programs can be used to set fitness goals, chart progress, and check the body mass index for up to eight people in your family. With more than forty activities in categories such as strength training, aerobics, yoga, and balance games, there are physical activity options for any fitness level or member of the family. Hula-Hoop, ski jump, lunge, and spinal twist your way to a more active lifestyle.
Zumba
If you're interested in other entertaining ways to get fit from home, consider Zumba, an accessible and welcoming aerobic activity for people of all fitness levels. Zumba-described by the catch phrase "Ditch the workout, join the party!"-is a popular class available at gyms and on DVD. This aerobic fusion of varied dance genres is broken up into short intervals, usually the length of a song, for an exciting variety of movements and styles. If you are a dance novice and apprehensive about discovering your rhythm in public, Zumba becomes an ideal at-home way to tone up and learn some moves.
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Regardless of the popularity or convenience of any diet or exercise program, the ultimate goal should be leading a healthy lifestyle. Stay on the track to success in the New Year by exploring your fitness style. Whether you opt for a gym membership, decide to hit the trails, or take advantage of the endless possibilities in your own living room, be sure to do so safely. Consult a doctor before starting a new nutrition or exercise program to protect yourself from unnecessary injury. In so doing, you will always have the opportunity to lend your hands, feet, and core muscles to the latest trend in fitness.
Featured in the Feburary issue of The Gardner Team's Home & Lifestyle Magazin
e - written in part by Maresa Giovannini.
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