VARIETY is the spice of life and in no aspect of daily living is this more true than your fitness routines.
Here are some fresh ideas to keep you active and engaged.
With spring around the corner, chances are you're starting to lose interest in the workouts you designed to begin meeting your 2013 resolutions. Or maybe you've been performing the same routine for weeks, months, or even years, without change.
Even if you're just looking for some enjoyable entry points into the world of daily exercise, these ideas may be just what you need to get started.
? Bodyweight Training
Whether you're having difficulty making it out to the gym or just want to set foot in a new section of it, bodyweight exercises can provide a classic, back-to-basics solution. The good news is push-ups, chin-ups, and dips remain as effective as ever for the upper body and lunges and squats are great lower body toning exercises using just your body-weight. Interested in a modern twist? Try TRX suspension cables to really feel the burn.
? Dance Workouts
This might sound like a blast from the neon-leg warmer past, but today there is more variety with Zumba, hip-hop, pole dancing and more. Besides improved conditioning and coordination, dance workouts provide the exhilaration of nailing some sweet new moves. Considering you can go beyond the gym to take studio classes with or without a partner, the possibilities are infinite!
? Outdoor Exercise
Even dedicated gym rats yearn for the outdoors sometimes, especially when the sun is shining. Be sure to get your nature fix by planning at least one outdoor conditioning session per week. In Greater Vancouver, that could mean a bike ride along the Iona Island Jetty, a brisk walk around Deer Lake or hiking the revered and respected Grouse Grind.
? Interval Training
This workout method entails performing continuous exercise training with low-intensity and high-intensity exercises organized in a predetermined series. It has become very popular over the last few years because it is extremely time efficient, allowing you to burn a high amount of calories and perform more exercises in a shorter time period. The benefit is you'll be constantly engaged and can easily track your progress. Not all interval training is as high-intensity as most CrossFit programs, but that is certainly a challenging and popular option.
? Online Deals
This is not an exercise method so much as a way to get your daily training in on the cheap. Here are the facts: with the recent rise of numerous online coupon sites an unprecedented boom of fitness savings has followed.
Most deals have reasonable expiry dates and all can be purchased in minutes.
If you want to try something new, saving as much as 70 per cent or more off the regular price could be the push you need.
Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. He owns Karp Personal Training and Rehabilitation, located in Burnaby. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit his website, karpfitness.com.
