Now we’re out of January, I thought it was time for the first fitness post of 2011. I don’t about you but I get rather tired of being told about all the “new” things I can do in January when the reality is that most people engage with their new routine for a couple of weeks and then drop off again.
Fitness isn’t about what you do in a quick burst, fitness works best when its something that you do as part of your daily or weekly routine. So, now the gyms are hopefully quieter again, its time, if you haven’t already, to start building fitness into your day. If you are beginner go for a walk at lunchtime, avoid lifts like the plague and walk up escalators; even changes as small as this will make a difference if you keep consistently at them. If you are happy in a gym, nows the time to shake up your workout, do some new classes perhaps – or build up your own circuits.
Talking of classes…This is also happily the time of year when exercise classes start to get less rammed! Classes are another excellent way of getting into exercise. They are usually fun, challenge you in different ways to just doing your own workout and its generally quite a social occasion too. Of all the classes I’ve done so far there are two I have fallen in love with! One of theses is Spin and its one of the best fat and calorie burners you can find in a group session. With the right music and the right instructor its hard to find a more challenging workout in a class environment. But if you haven’t got a spin class to go to, panic not! Its pretty easy to recreate the spin experience on a stationery bike either at the gym or at home.
1) Put on your favourite tunes (something with a fairly high rate beat ☺)
2) Start off with 10 minutes with the resistance down fairly fast but comfortable as a warm up
3) Do 30 seconds going as fast as you possibly can with the resistance down low followed by a minute of normal pace – repeat 8 times
4) Do 30 seconds going as fast as you possibly can on a standing sprint (out of the seat with resistance slightly up) followed by a minute of normal pace out of your seat – repeat 8 times
5) 5 Minutes with medium resistance seated, take your hands off the handlebars and just push with your legs
6) 2 minutes going as fast as you can
Remember to stretch out your legs at the end of this, otherwise it will hurt the next day! Take it from a girl that knows and has spent time walking around doing a John Wayne impression after a particularly arduous spin class!
