Archive for the 'kids' fitness' Category

Time-Saving Workouts: Gravity Bar, Perfect Pullup and Hula Hooping

(Written for LA’s the Place.com. Read original at LA’s the Place.)

With time and money in short supply, using your own body weight and changing up your exercise routine are top fitness trends according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). 48% of ACE professionals surveyed predict that gym memberships will decline in 2009, so it’s time to look at what you can do at home to get fit quickly and inexpensively.

The last home workout article, Homegrown Muscle: Building a Home-Based Gym, focused on the essentials and recommended simple budget-friendly add-ons. From paper plates to stability balls and kettlebells, we ran the gamut with options that kept you motivated and on the path to weight loss success.

This time around we’ve found some “break-out stars” to supplement, or even replace, your home gym. Below each item you will find a “Trainer’s note” with my observations and comments.
Continue reading ‘Time-Saving Workouts: Gravity Bar, Perfect Pullup and Hula Hooping’

Nintendo Wii - Fitness Friend or Foe?

We have video game systems in my house. A lot of them. Playstation 2, GameCube, Nintendo DS. So it was a hard sell to get me to purchase yet an additional system - the Nintendo Wii. I didn’t want another reason for my kids to sit around. According to the American Obesity Society, 30% of American children are overweight and 15% of American children are actually obese, with the numbers steadily rising. Lack of exercise is a contributing factor. And yes - the personal trainer’s children hate to exercise.

So..to Wii or not to Wii? That was the question.

Continue reading ‘Nintendo Wii - Fitness Friend or Foe?’