Make fitness opportunities!

You may not have the time or finances to join a gym, but that shouldn’t stop your workouts. Look around you to create fitness opportunities in your everyday environment. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Make an obstacle course out of the playground equipment at your local school.

Use the picnic tables at your neighborhood park for pushups and planks.

Use the track at the high school for a cardio sprint-interval workout.

Use a flight of stairs to log a stair-climbing workout.

Make Fitness Opportunities

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Abdominals…Plus!

Crank your ab workout up a notch with this exercise:

Lie on your back on the floor with your hands behind your ears. Hold both feet up off of the floor with your knees over your hips. Begin by lifting both shoulders up off of the floor. Next lift your right shoulder up toward your belly button, at the same time bringing your left knee toward your belly button. Return to your starting position. Now lift your left shoulder up toward your belly button, at the same time bringing your right knee toward your belly button. Repeat 10 times.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Take your ab workout to the next level

Vibration Training: The Basics

What is it and how does it work?
The Power Plate is a platform that vibrates in three different directions.  These vibrations help engage every muscle in your body (similar to Pilates when you create instability by moving your arms) which has been proven to give you the same results in 30 minutes as a gym session lasting an hour and a half (European Journal of Obesity 2010.)  Depending on your goals, you can easily tone your body or sculpt bigger muscles in no time.

Who can try it?
Vibration training is suitable for anyone who wants to maximize what little time they have for exercise.  Due to setting options, those new to the gym as well as seasoned athletes can benefit.  Class sizes are usually small so the instructor can work with each member at their fitness level, creating more of a non-stop circuit-inspired class ensuring you give 100%.  Males and females members have seen the difference in their sports performance after training on a Power Plate.  
People with active cancer, a pacemaker, and/or are pregnant should not use the plate.  Sometimes if you have a head cold the vibrations can feel too intense, but just let your instructor know and they can help make your workout more comfortable.  People with replacement joints will need to wait for doctor’s approval before beginning their training on the plate.

What are the benefits?
Not only can vibration training improve your fitness, it also helps improve circulation and blood flow, promote lymphocyte drainage, decrease cellulite, and relaxes you with a massage at the end of the session  It also helps develop stability (ie prevent you from falling when you are older), increase your bone density, and help you recover from ACL injury.  Power Plate has links to these peer-reviewed studies on their website (www.powerplate.com).

Vibration training workouts are effective for both men and women.  Twenty five minutes on the plate is will have you just was sweaty as if you had a longer session in the gym.  Maximize your time and book in for a class today!

Mollie Millington is a London-based health and wellness coach.  She offers in-person and virtual training support.  You can visit her website, www.ptmollie.com , for free workouts, fitness info, and weekend challenges.  She is also on Twitter (@PTMollie), Facebook (www.facebook.com/pt.mollie), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/ptmollie).

Vibration Training: Efficient and Effective Exercise?