Let’s Get Physical
As Elle Woods said in “Legally Blonde”, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins makes you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Exercise is one of those things everyone hates but has to do. Exercising not only helps introduce positivity into your life, but it can also help you avoid serious health implications by reducing high blood pressure and improving your immune system.
Men’s Fitness deemed Memphis as one of the fattest city in America. Good job, everyone. According to fitness.gov, less that five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical exercise each day. As of 2014, the obesity rate for the state of Tennessee is at 31.2 percent, and according to stateofobesity.org, we are the 14th most obese state in the nation. Exercising is a necessity, especially when we are surrounded by statistics similar to the ones above as well as greasy, garbage food.
Cross-training is vital to the success of any athlete. If your workout typically revolves around weightlifting and agility training, take a stretching class like yoga. Cross-training will improve your craft more than you know because it will train your body to work and react in different kinds of ways.
There are a multitude of ways to exercise, but all forms either build strength, improve flexibility, work endurance or create balance.
-Yoga — Yoga is an ascetic type of exercise where it’s all about breathing. Different body postures are held for long periods of time to increase core strength, flexibility and balance in the body and mind. Normal and hot yoga classes are offered around the city, and these are a great way to meditate and bring positive energy into your life.
Personally, yoga is my favorite way to exercise. It is the perfect way for me to destress and reintroduce positive vibes into my life. One common assumption made about yoga is that it’s only for women, which is completely false. In every yoga class I have taken, about one third of the class is male, so guys should definitely try this, too. If you ever find yourself stressed out and down in a slump, try a yoga class. It will help wash out negative energy and return balance and stability to your body and mind.
-Pilates — Pilates is known to improve mental toughness and awareness. It focuses on the body’s core strength by working the obliques, lower back and inner and outer thighs. The goal of pilates is to engage every muscle in your body at the same time. You may be working one group of muscles in your body while stretching another group, but all muscles are affected nonetheless. The chance of injury in pilates is much lower than with other forms of exercise, which makes it ideal to many people.
Pilates is much more difficult than it looks. The small movements look easy but are designed to maximize the burning sensation in workouts to produce great results. Pilates is a difficult form of exercise to execute because it is easy to give up when the burning starts, but there are a multitude of modifications that can be made to make every position feasible.
–Pure Barre — Pure barre targets the areas of the body that people typically struggle with most: abdominals, arms, thighs, hips and seat. The goal of pure barre is to provide an intense workout that is low-impact, thus protecting your joints. The typical pure barre class alternates between strength and stretching exercises in order to tone the body, avoid bulk and protect sensitive joints. Pure barre utilizes a ballet barre to perform small movements that tone your body and burn fat in record-breaking time.
While it is very easy to get discouraged in a pure barre class, the key is preservation and persistence. It does get easier with practice, and the feeling of immediate nausea does go away. After taking three pure barre classes, I could see definite results, so if you are looking for a quick remedy for the perfect beach body, this is definitely the workout class for you!
–Kickboxing — Kickboxing is an aerobic form of exercise that improves endurance and agility. It is a combination of boxing, martial arts and aerobics. Instructors take moves and choreograph them to music, which keeps things upbeat and helps you continue moving. This form of exercise includes moves such as jumping rope, throwing punches and doing footwork. Kickboxing can be difficult for some because it requires some coordination to do the intricate armwork and footwork.
For all of you cardio monsters out there, kickboxing is for you! It works cardio and improves muscle shape in one workout. If cardio is not your strength, and it is definitely is not mine, this style of exercise will be a significant challenge. Despite this, because of its upbeat energy and fun movements, kickboxing is something that everyone will enjoy.
–Zumba — If you are looking for an exercise class rooted in fun and want to feel like you just left a party after each class, zumba is your type of exercise! Zumba takes classic dance and aerobic moves and sets them to music. The goal is to work every part of the body while continuously moving throughout the entire class. It is easy to stay motivated in a zumba class because all movement is done to upbeat music.
For those losers who say exercising cannot be fun, I bet you haven’t taken a zumba class. Sometimes you won’t even recognize you’re working out because you are having so much fun dancing to the songs. Zumba, much like kickboxing, works cardio and tones muscles in one class. The goal is to continue moving throughout the entirety of the class, which can be a struggle at times. However, zumba is a great way to boost positivity, have fun and get in a great workout.
–Spin Class — There is no better word to describe a spin class than intense. Spin classes are great for men and women alike who want better legs. The burn starts five minutes into class and only gets worse as you go on, but the sense of accomplishment and relief you feel at the end of each class is satisfaction enough to make you want to come back for more.
I love spin class classes because you get to sit down and listen to music while exercising. Really, what could be better? This class requires a good amount of mental perseverance to not stop spinning, but if you want results and the feeling of accomplishment, I dare you to take a spin class.
