What's Hot this Summer
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Zumba
Zumba actually launched in the 1990’s and has been around in the UK for a while but it wasn’t until 2010 that its popularity soared. Suitable for all fitness levels, Zumba is a dynamic mix of Salsa, Rumba and Merengue set to Latino music. The emphasis is on having fun and it’s billed as a ‘party’ rather than a workout. Despite this advocates still claim you can burn up to a massive 700 calories an hour. Classes vary but all Zumba routines utilise interval training alternating fast and slow rhythms to improve your fitness levels. Classes also include resistance work to tone and sculpt the body too. The phenomenon started in Miami when fitness instructor Beto Perez forgot his dance class tapes and improvised, using his eclectic collection of Salsa and Merengue songs. The class was so popular that he continued to develop it and Zumba evolved. According to the stats, six million people around the world do a Zumba class every week!
Find a class near you at
www.virginactive.com or get a Zumba DVD and dance at home!
www.zumbafitness.co.uk
Vew-Do Boarding uses the world’s first multi-directional balance board – a balance board that moves in three planes. Originally designed as a tool for snowboarders to improve their balance the Vew-Do board is one of the hottest new fitness tools around, allowing you not only to improve your own balance but also to train your core and tone your entire body. The board itself resembles a skateboard without wheels and comes with three different bases allowing it to rock, roll or wobble depending on the exercises you are doing. Exercises range from traditional moves such as squats and press ups to more exciting moves and tricks that mimic those you can perform on a snow or surfboard. Just to stand on the roller base and find the central balanced point is extremely challenging but it’s also totally addictive. The rocker base allows you to ‘run’ on the board by alternating pushing each side down to the floor which adds a cardio element to the workout.
Find a class near you or buy your own board at
www.vew-do.co.uk
VRX-Biking
VRX-Biking is a new class from Trixter that’s taken group cycling to the next level. Instead of relying on the instructor to provide the experience and motivation, a big screen video takes you on a journey through real locations from London to the Streets of New York. Visual stimulation is proven to increase motivation. While group cycle classes require participants to imagine their trail as they move up and downhill with different resistance, VRX-Biking classes allow riders to engage in a much more exciting experience and work together to steer through the tracks. Classes use Trixter X-Bikes which are designed to feel a lot like a riding real bike outdoors. The handlebars move like a real bike and there are real-feel grip-shift gears. In a VRX-Biking class you align yourself with the on-screen rider so when he reaches a bend in the track you steer the bike in the right direction to stay on course. As your rider reaches a hill you must crank up your gears and get out of the saddle to reach the top before speeding down the other side. The X-Bike also allows you to change the resistance of the handlebars so you can select how hard your upper body has to work.
For more information about VRX-Biking classes and Trixter X-Bikes visit www.trixter.net
AcroYoga, founded by two yogis in the US, Jason Nemer & Jenny Sauer-Kline is a blend of traditional yoga, acrobatics and Thai massage. It is designed to encourage trust in ourselves and others, as well as a sense of playfulness that you don’t find in a regular class. Sessions start with a ‘Circle Ceremony’ where the ‘players’ acquaint themselves with one another, the first stage in building the trust that becomes so important as the class progresses. Following an asana warm up you learn to ‘base’ and ‘fly.’ The base is support for the flyer while the flyer is the one that’s suspended in the air! The flyer uses the base to elevate them off the ground. They can hold a single posture or work through a dynamic flow, using gravity to help them. They can also relax and receive ‘therapeutic flying’ where the base does the work, guiding the flyer into positions which stretch and massage their body. The sessions also allow for group work where you learn to build human pyramids!
To learn more visit the official website, www.acroyoga.org.
For details of classes and workshops in Sussex visit
www.yoga-life.co.uk
