5 Fitness Experiences to Try
If your idea of exercise is ‘a boring run on a treadmill for 30 minutes’ you are doing yourself an injustice. Health and Fitness should be FUN and if you have not tried these…you should. At least once.
Rebounding
Jumping on a mini-trampoline or specialized boots (similar to a ski boot) with built in springs.
What it Does:
Stimulates the lymph system to complete an entire circuit in just 4 minutes (usually 48 hours) so has an EXCELLENT detox effect on the body – it’s natural diuretic effect kick starts any weight loss program and the cardio component whittles fat away further. NASA proved 10 minutes on a Rebounder is equivalent to 30 minutes of normal jogging and studies indicate it has excellent anti-aging benefits.
Who Should Try It?
Gentle on the joints, Rebounding can be done by the very young (children) to the very old and anyone in between. The intensity will vary on an individual’s fitness levels.
What is So Special About it?
Jumping on any spring platform is FUN – so you are able to do more without really straining.
Where to Try It?
Karen Reilly at Umoya Pilates Studio in Salt Rock takes group classes or one-on-one sessions combining Pilates with the Rebounder for a more intense workout. Tel: +27(0)0796771060
Dance for Fun Classes
Group and Individual Dance Classes covering everything from Freestyle to the Hustle and Rock n Roll
What it Does:
A cardio-boosting, happy enhancing exercise regime. Creative expression is combined with strength, core, flexibility and balance co-ordination movement.
Who Should Try It?
Anyone and everyone! From the very young who love to be in a pink tutu to the elder, retired folk who simply enjoy ‘how it used to be done.’
What is So Special About It?
As seen by the amazing transformation of contestants on the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ television series, not only will your body sculpt into an amazing version of itself, dance liberates the spirit too!
Where to Try It?
Dance 4 Fun in Salt Rock offers the first lesson free, and thereafter packages to suit every time constraint and pocket book. Phone: +27(0)828029589 and Email: info@dance4funkzn.co.za
Personal Trainer Training
Fitness as celebrities get it done. A professional trainer will design a program specific to an individual’s needs, goals and capabilities.
What it Does:
Having a personal trainer correct your style or push you that little bit further can have an enormous impact on your workout success, achieving maximum results in shorter time frames.
Who Should Try It?
Everyone should have at least one personal training session to familiarize themselves with a new gym environment or fitness activity.
What is so Special About It?
A professional sports trainer or biokineticist has an in-depth understanding of body physiology and outcomes. You may think you’re doing a sit-up correctly, until a personal trainer tweaks a move here, adjusts a stance there…and suddenly you know what a sit-up is all about!
Where to Try It?
I Move Fitness, Ballito offer personal training as part of their monthly gym membership fee: Telephone: 032 815 0645
Curves Women Only Gym in Salt Rock have a certified coach on the floor guiding all members through each move correctly.
Pulse Kettlebell Studio in Ballito offers Personal Functional Training Sessions.
Crossfit
As the name implies, these classes are a cross section of fitness styles with ‘Functional Fitness’ forming the core of it.
What it Does:
This intense fitness workout combines strength training and cardio in a series of short bursts of energy (HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training) which has been shown to blast the metabolism into the high rev zone.
What is So Special About It?
Exercises could be similar to what our paleolithic forefathers may have done through the course of a general day…lifting and moving heavy items across an area, pulling the body up, stretching to the body across an imaginary ravine…this is purely Functional in nature, so the body is moving in the way it is meant to.
Who Should Try It?
Although anyone can work up to a level of fitness, CrossFit tends to attract the more ‘energetic’ fitness enthusiast.
Where to Try It?
The CrossFit Box has recently moved to its new home at the Linc Campus in Foxhill, Salt Rock.
Foam Rolling
A rigid cylindrical foam roller is used for myofacial release. Previously used exclusively by sports coaches, athletes and therapists, this massage technique is used to release tight muscles and trigger points within various muscle groups.
What it Does:
Deep compression helps to break up or relax tight muscles and adhesions formed between muscle layers and their surrounding tissues. It is rather like you are tenderizing your own muscles, making them soft, supple and flexible like a baby’s muscles.
What is So Special About It?
The massage motion can be painful over tight areas, feeling like you are bruising yourself terribly, but the sensation of release as the muscles are ‘tenderized’ is exquisite! Incorporating this piece of equipment into your fitness program can really enhance performance.
Who Should Try It?
Everyone! Few other fitness props can combine such an extraordinary sensation of relief and work simultaneously. Any athlete or stressed desk-sitter’s ideal companion at the end of the day.
Where to Try It?
Any good Pilates Studio will have this gem within their arsenal of props and incorporate it into their group classes or individual coaching sessions. Umoya Pilates Studio in Salt Rock (+27(0)79 677 1060) and Tash B Pilates (+27 83 695 9121) regularly use the Foam Roller in their classes.
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