Here's the inside scoop on new fitness trends
SHEILA STORY / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Saturday, April 12, 2008 7:00 pm
Spring is here! Walkers, runners, bikers and other weekend warriors are hitting Lincoln’s trails and ball fields once again.
But for just a moment, let’s think back to those New Year’s fitness resolutions.
Remember those?
If visits to the gym have gotten fewer and farther between, then the promise of outdoor exercise in gorgeous sunshine and balmy air is just the inspiration needed to get us active and going once again.
However, this is Nebraska, so if the weather outside is still frightful — read: April showers. Here are some indoor fitness ideas to add variety to your routine.
Try a BOSU Balance Trainer
BOSU is an acronym standing for “both sides up.” It’s so named by inventor David Weck because you can stand or sit on the squishy, domed side, or turn it over and do balance and strength exercises on the hard, flat side.
It’s about looking better, feeling better, performing better and, best of all, having fun, Weck says in the introduction video that comes with the BOSU. You can accomplish all of this in a small space without taking up, say, half your basement or bedroom with a big machine such as a treadmill or a stair climber.
The BOSU is great for building balance, which is the foundation of all movement. Building balance improves all activity, whether it’s golf, running or just playing with the kids.
Some of Lincoln’s health clubs have incorporated BOSUs into group fitness classes and are used by personal trainers to help clients build strength and balance. The extra effort required to maintain balance when using the BOSU amps up the training effect by creating muscle confusion.
“They’re great for stabilization and core work,” said Karen Mills, fitness director of the Lincoln Racquet Club. “They are used in some pilates classes and by clients for mat exercises like squats, pushups, lunges and abdominal work.”
BOSUs retail for about $100. Mine came with a pump and easy instructions on how to inflate the dome and a DVD of cardio, strength, flexibility and balance exercises. In the DVD, Weck and his team take you through a series of three exercise segments of increasing difficulty, so you can progress at your own pace.
Cathy Jewell, fitness and wellness coordinator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus Recreation Center, offers the following tips for BOSU fitness:
* Have about 12 to 16 square feet of space available to lie on your stomach, side, back and/or step off of the BOSU.
*Shoes with lateral support such as a cross-trainer or court shoe are recommended while doing standing exercises on the Balance Trainer.
* If you’re new to BOSU it’s best to start basic. For example, stand on both feet on the dome side to perform a bicep, making sure you have technique and form down, before progressing to a more challenging option.
* If you’re familiar with the BOSU, you can take familiar strength moves and add a balance challenge. It could be a squat with the hands and eyes moving to the side of the room thus creating a dynamic focal point.
* Get the kids active by taking turns jumping on the dome. It’s a fun way to create interaction with the entire family.
* The BOSU can be used for functional training during some of your daily tasks. An example would be sitting on the platform with one leg crossed and putting on your socks and shoes while keeping the platform level.
As with any exercise DVD, you want to be sure to watch the entire thing from start to finish before you try it out for the first time. Also be sure to read the manual included for instructions on care and maintenance.
Zumba is the newest cardio sensation
Spanish slang for “move fast and have fun,” Zumba was created by Colombia native and personal trainer/choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez.
Inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and merengue music he grew up with, Perez combined his favorite pulsating Latin rhythms with red-hot international dance steps to come up with the newest cardio dance sensation.
Zumba is offered at Bryan-LGH Lifepoint and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Campus Recreation.
Or you can go to zumba.com to order a four-DVD set.
The steps are easy and rhythmic, the music rocks and the workout an intense cardio workout that beginners can adapt at a lower level. And hey, it’s a new and different way to get moving when you’re stuck indoors.
Ease your stresses away with Qigong
In China, a common sight of people in parks standing serenely, stepping gently, moving their arms slowly while turning gracefully. Though they come from all walks of life, the Chinese practice Qigong (pronounced “Chee Kung”) for one reason: health and healing.
It’s all about the chi, which is defined as the “vital force,” or energy field we all have around us.
The actual existence of chi is debatable, but having performed the gentle, flowing exercises presented by Francesco Garri Garripoli and his wife, Daisy Lee-Garripoli, in their Wuji Productions DVD, I can say without hesitation that they are a wonderful way to ease stress and increase upper body flexibility and, to some degree, strength. It’s easy, and meditative. The movements flow with the breath.
You mainly stand balanced on both feet, so it’s not going to aggravate sensitive knees, ankles or most lower-body ailments.
If you seek a gentle method to practice fitness or are looking for a way to begin, this might be something to try. It’s a great upper-body complement to a walking regimen, which mainly affects the lower body.
As with all other DVDs, please watch all of it from beginning to end. Included with this one is a documentary produced by Garripoli. It covers his two-year stay in China, where he filmed master Qigong practitioners, some of them in their 90s, and provides a fascinating history of Qigong, which is ancient.
A cookie that’s good for you
Knock, knock,
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad you can get beta-carotene in a cookie?
From the April edition of Mind, Body & Spirit Fitness, comes this cookie recipe, originally created by Whole Foods Market.
Beta Carotine Cookies
½ cup currants
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 cups grated carrot
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover currants with boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, sift together flours, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and orange zest; fold in carrot and drained currants. Add flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then scoop teaspoonfuls of dough onto nonstick baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Reach Sheila Story at 473-7333 or sstory@journalstar.com