Shakin' it up....

Exercise should be, first and foremost, FUN (as well as safe and effective). Otherwise the motivation to do it is zip. In addition to interval training and yoga (both of which I love), I have recently joined the world-wide dance craze of Zumba. Much like technology, I have joined as a very late adopter. I resist fads and trends, or at least try to. I was slightly embarrassed for my sister when she told me she took it up years ago. But when she  took me to a class earlier this year I walked away eager to do more. Why? It was so much FUN!! And it was something different. Moving my body in ways that it hasn't moved in years. Shaking things up a bit.

If you like dancing, popular music and working up a sweat, then you'll probably love this. It has all of the benefits of dancing in a nightclub without any of the seedy, smoky drawbacks. The dance steps can be fairly complicated, which I actually relish, because when you nail the routine- co-ordinating different body parts to music at the same time- it feels awesome.

It's also cheap ($7 per 1 hour class for a block of 20), convenient (it takes me 5 mins to walk to Tamarama surf club) and I get to look at this view out the window when dancing:

Class timetable and price list is below.

How do I fit it all in? With difficulty. It seems that when I prioritise one thing, something else (like sleep and admin!) slips by the wayside. At the moment it's 2 Zumba classes a week, 3 interval training classes a week and 30 mins of yoga most nights at home after kids have gone to bed. I find this combination of movement is a really nice balance of co-ordination, aerobic fitness, strength, speed and flexibility. For me, the more movement I do in winter the more it keeps feeling cold at bay and the better my circulation (and head space). I'm not drawn to doing so much exercise in summer as it too hot, I feel naturally more chipper when the weather is warmer and  I want to spend more time just hanging out at the beach.

I've written about the benefits of interval training here, here and here if you want to know more about that and where to train. And check out my previous blog here on ideas on how to keep kids active over winter. 

How are you shaking things up?

How to keep kids active indoors during cold/wet days

Anyone whose spent any time with young kids will know that kids needs to expend energy more or less constantly.... especially boys! When he's not playing with Lego, my son Will (almost 7) is constantly climbing  all over the furniture, bouncing around the couch, almost bursting out of his skin.  And its only natural- its in our  genes to MOVE!  Trying to curtail this energy in sedentary ways only means that it's going to come out in unproductive (even destructive!) ways at a later point in time. Modern life has made children so much more sedentary than our hunter gatherer genes have evolved us to be. TV, cinemas, screens, homework, sitting in cars, indoor lifestyles, and other sedentary activities (some very worthwhile of course) just means that we need BALANCE it out a little with movement. Warm summer weather is a no brainer for entertaining kids- we head straight outdoors to nature (beach, park etc) where kids can expend their energy  swimming, rolling, running, playing ball sports, throwing a frisbee, riding bikes etc. A greater challenge is working out how they can expend their boundless energy in a productive way when the weather turns cold or wet or when its just not feasbile to be outdoors (case in point as I type this it is cold and teaming with rain!).

So here's a few things that I do with my kids that might give you some inspiration when they (and you!) are climbing the walls:

1. rebounder- this acts a little trampoline for kids to jump on. It's small enough that I can move it around the house depending on which room the kids are playing in.Whenever I see the kids climbing all over the furniture its great that I can direct them to the rebounder. Sometimes we turn on the music and team the jumping with singing and dancing - pretending to be the next upcoming Voice contestant (you can tell that I harbour some unfilled entertainer dreams!). I bought my rebounder from Rebel Sports.

2. Hyperdash - the interval training game for kids (and big kids too!). This is really cool. There's a battery operated baton that yells out instructions and 5 different colours / numbered targets that you spread out around the house. You follow the baton's commands by striking the targets it directs you to in the fastest possible time (e.g. "strike red", "now strike 5", "strike blue then green twice" etc etc). Who ever completes the instructions in the quickest time wins. There are different levels of difficulty (e.g. involving memory or maths).  You are racing around the house as fast as you can (taking turns or in teams) for about 90-120 seconds at a time- which is a perfect time frame to really get your heart rate racing before resting. Just like interval/cross training at the primal fitness gym I go to! I was skeptical about this when I bought it but I really enjoy playing it just as much as the kids (if not more!). Its advertised for ages 6+ but my 4 year old plays it (and I accompany her on her turn to keep her motivated to finish). If you have a double story house or a large house you can really spread out the targets to make you work harder. I'm dripping with sweat after a few rounds of this. So I get some exercise and tucker the kids out at the same time. Perfect. I bought Hyperdash from the Australian Geographic shop from Westfield for A$34.95. According to the sales assistant it's the best selling item in the store.

3. rough and tumble- its the age-old game of getting down on the floor with your kids- rolling, tickling, tumbling, frolicking fun. Its also a way that kids can get their physical attachment/affection needs met when they are no longer babes in arms.

If you try these activities out let me know what you think. Do you have any other ideas on how kids can remain active when indoors? I'd love to hear them!

Happy indoor moving!

Move like a warrior…. at Primal Fitness!

Last time I wrote about my exercise shenanigans at Bronte beach- sprints. Very rewarding and great over summer months first thing in the morning. Now that the weather is cooling down I’ve been trying out something new over the past month..…I’ve been training a couple times a week at Primal Fitness on New South Head Road Double Bay.

I never thought of myself as a gym person but this is not your typical gym. No cardio machines or treadmills. Instead we have interval and strength training. Short intense bursts of anaerobic exercise interspersed with rests to get the heart rate back to resting (which mimics the movements of our hunter gatherer ancestors when sprinting full tilt to escape from or hunt down an animal). This activity has been shown to burn fat and build muscle…..very quickly. Since I’ve started I’ve put on 2 kg of muscle mass with 19% body fat. I love the variety of movements (boxing, burpies, star jumps, sprints, pushing, pulling, crawling, throwing, catching etc etc).  The super friendly staff make my sessions fun (even when I’m muttering expletives at the thought of pushing the snow plough the entire length of the gym for the 10^th time…. ). I have a $100 gift voucher to give away to anyone reading this blog who would like to try this gym out. First in first served. For more information check out Primal Fitness  (they are in the process of changing their name from Premium Health Studio to Primal Fitness to better reflect their ethos).