Suspend-It

Most people focus on diet to keep their body slim but often overlook proper regular exercise. They often forget that exercise is essential for healthy living. Early this morning, I brought my mp3 player and went jogging in the park to relieve the stress from a whole week of office work. When I got there I did some stretching and a few laps of walking. To my surprise, I saw my friends, Mark and Leah, also doing exercise. I was so glad to see them since we haven’t seen each other in a while.

All three of us were in fashionable sporty outfits with matching music players. Mark was bragging about his new mp3 player with expandable micro sd memory. It was so cool! You could easily add more storage space for music just by inserting a microSD card. Anyway, after a several laps, we sat on the grass and enjoyed a small breakfast picnic together. Jogging has never been this much fun!

My friend Mark and I decided to try Bikram Yoga last October 24 by enrolling in a one week unlimited trial session. Just so you know, Bikram Yoga, as defined by ABC-of-Yoga.com, “is a series of 26 poses performed in a room with temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Each Yoga Pose is usually performed twice and held for a certain period of time.”

The short week of doing the 26 poses in the heated studio really did us a lot of good – improved breathing, increased flexibility, corrected posture, eliminated body toxins, lessened back pains, not to mention it gave us a healthy, glowing skin afterwards. If it weren’t for the pricey monthly fee, we would have continued on a one-month session at the studio.

In the end, we decided to take pictures of the 26 poses (thanks to Mark’s Nikon D90) borrow the Bikram Yoga session CDs and book, and just practice at home until we can afford the yoga fee. With its great benefits, we’re definitely going back to being yogis. ^_^

I seem to be gaining a lot of weight lately. My body feels a bit heavier and wider than usual, and my weighing scale seems to nod in agreement to that observation. My officemates even joked that I should consider investing the cash advance benefits I get into paying for gym sessions. This I don’t understand, because for the past few months I have been very active and hardworking. I work hard at the office, I do my own chores at home, and I don’t eat snacks. I don’t think I eat so much either.

My only weakness, I guess, is that I don’t exercise. I can’t seem to find the energy to do a workout. Once I get home or during weekends, I would rather sleep than exercise. Now I think I really have to exercise if I want my waistline expansion and weight accumulation to end.

Let’s face it, when it comes to fitness, motorcyclists don’t get much respect compared to other athletes. For many, riding a motorcycle up the local canyons or taking hot laps down at the area raceway is a breeze. Then again, have you ever tried riding for an hour through twisty canyons?

Similar to other fitness activities, your body can get quite a work out from prolonged or more vigorous riding. Lack of fitness can hinder one’s performance, especially after a prolonged ride. Nevertheless, increased fitness allows the rider to fight off fatigue, which limits performance and can be dangerous when you’re riding at the limit of your abilities. Moreover, improving general fitness and muscle tone helps reduce the general aches and pains associated with riding for long periods by increasing joint strength and improving body posture.

There are several areas of fitness and well-being which when addressed can improve rider performance. A good start to improving rider fitness is cardiovascular exercise. Also known as Aerobic Exercise, Cardiovascular Exercise is any activity that elevates your ability to do work over a sustained period of time (e.g. swimming and running).

Although motorcyclists use their whole body when riding, the stomach, forearms and inner thighs are of primary importance. Some exercises for these parts are push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises, biceps curl, and wrist curl. Nevertheless, while working on your arms and legs, don’t forget to develop core body strength. This is because, as your core (trunk or center of gravity) strength increases, you’ll find that you rely less on your arms to support your body while riding, freeing up your arms to control the bike with less effort.

Next time someone says motorcycle riding doesn’t involve exerting any physical activity, ask them to ride for an hour through twisty canyons.

The advent of inventing and manufacturing many fitness equipment and the construction of a lot of fitness clubs and gyms to cater to the increasing health consciousness of people is evident. Buying these contraptions and/or going to these places will be very expensive even if you avail of the promotion club offer. But why spend or buy those expensive equipment? Why pays for membership when you can also be physically fit without spending a cent?

You can actually walk your way into fitness. Literally.

Walking is the cheapest and best exercise for people of all ages. It enables you to appreciate nature as you walk and interact with companions (that is, if you opted to walk with someone). In walking, you get to choose your destination and you control your own phase and duration. Most of all, you know your resistance level and thus you’re able to determine when to stop, when to rest or, and when to resume walking.

For this priceless (literally and figuratively) exercise, all you need is a good pair of rubber shoes. Should you decide to walk alone, you can always pray or meditate as you walk. Pray for your health; pray for loved ones, pray for the people you meet, pray peace in the whole world!