Portable Fitness by Nicole Bryan

Make your fitness portable! Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Jump Rope. Jumping Rope is high impact and is high intensity, and it also burns a ton of calories. Start with intervals and build from there. Begin with thirty-seconds to two minutes of moderately paced jumping, followed by walking for about a minute or two to allow your heart rate to stay in your aerobic zone. Be sure to warm up with walking for 10 minutes prior to your first interval, as well as cooling down with walking to return your heart rate to pre-exercise levels.

Exercise Band. Exercise bands provide resistance for our muscles. They’re portable and easy to adjust the intensity. If you’re new to exercising with the band and are focusing on building arm strength, try a standing bicep curl. Stand on the band with your feet hip-width apart, hold a handle in each hand along side of your body. Keep your torso straight, with your abdominals pulled in tight. Turn your palms to face forward. Bending from your elbows, pull your arms up so your palms are facing your shoulders. Slowly extend your arms again and return to your starting position. Repeat 10 times to start.

Balance Disk. Balance disks are similar to stability balls, just smaller. Their size allows them to provide an unstable surface to sit or stand on, while occupying much less room. If you’re new to exercising with the disk, as well as working on building core strength, try sitting on the disk. With your knees at 90-degrees, pull both feet up and off the floor. Hold for a count of 10 seconds to start and build from there. Place both arms across your chest, keeping your torso straight and abdominals pulled in tight.