Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow.
Spring is 6 weeks away, and we want to get ourselves beach-ready… Better bust a move and get on it!
Here are 5 fun workout trends that will give your 2017 exercise routine a boost.
Stand Up Paddle Board Yoga
Yoga on a Stand Up Paddle Board. This new twist to traditional Stand Up Paddle Boarding challenges your core, while refining your yoga and SUP technique. The sensation of floating enhances the feeling of calmness and improves your concentration and your balance. Not to mention, the view of the horizon from the open water is pretty spectacular and, most likely, better than the walls of your yoga studio.
Extra bonus: Our Zen jacket would be the perfect hoodie to throw on, post-Stand-Up-Yoga. Quick-drying and breathable — and it fits soooo well.
Streaming Workouts
We love, love, love the idea of streaming our workouts. The beauty of streaming is that you can get to any class, anytime, and all you need is wifi. In other words: No excuses. From monthly memberships to class passes to Skype (so you even interact with your instructor), the possibilities are limitless.
And with streaming, someone else’s yoga mat will never be plunked down too close to yours, the person off-rhythm on the bike next to you won’t be able to throw you off pace, you won’t have to reserve your spot in advance, and, if you’re having a bad-hair-don’t-want-to-talk-to-or-see-anyone kind of day, this is your perfect refuge.
Below is a list of some of our favorites.
https://www.yogaglo.com
https://lp.dailyburn.com/201701v2/index.html
https://www.pelotoncycle.com
Extra bonus: You will still want to look cute and dress the part. Try our Lotus Capri pants. No reason not to!
Mixed Format / Bootcamp Classes
If you get bored easily, consider trying one of the Mixed Format classes, which are popping up just about everywhere. How about a fusion workout of Running-Rowing-Strength training? Or a full-on hour of a Boxing-Megaformer mix? Maybe Spinning-Pilates? Anything that earns a nickname of the “1,000 calorie workout” has our attention!
Any way you slice it, combining cardio with strength training burns major calories, is a total adrenaline rush, can be a lot of fun, and — bonus — prevents injury because you are not overusing joints and muscles since you’re always doing something different. And, these workouts are high-intensity sweat sessions, so you will get that awesome glow to your skin afterwards. Check out Barry’s Bootcamp, Orange Theory and Fusion Fitness for a sampling.
Extra bonus: Helen Jon’s Movement Shorts would be the perfect choice for this high-intensity workout.
Pound
Sweat, sculpt and rock out. Why not?! A full-body workout that incorporates the specially-designed Ripstix (lightly-weighted exercise drumsticks, named this because they are designed to get you “ripped”) with awesome music for a totally different kind of workout. Instead of counting reps or staring at the clock, Pound shifts your focus to rhythm and volume and allows you to work out hard with that extra boost you get from great, loud, bass-heavy music.
Pound Fit and other Pound-type classes can be found at gyms nation-wide.
Extra bonus: Studies have shown that drumming can be brain-boosting, stress-relieving and mood-lifting. Pound burns calories galore. Go ahead, channel your inner-Sheila E. and give this workout a shot.
Rowing
Rowing is an efficient, dynamic - and yes, full-body, workout. It’s low-impact, which we love, as this helps protect and preserve our injury-prone joints: knees, hips and ankles. And we were surprised (happily!) to learn that Rowing uses 86% of our body’s muscle mass and burns, on average, two to three times the number of calories than other cardio exercises.
Extra bonus: You can picture yourself rowing in real-time on the ocean waters in your favorite Helen Jon…. Visualize yourself in this.
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Go ahead… give some of these a try — and then let us know what you think! We are always on the lookout for other new, fun exercise trends and classes. Please keep us in the know and tell us which classes are your current obsessions.