Fitness Wednesday: Great Places to Work Out & Resistance Bands

Today I was a chaperon on my son's school field trip to the Loggerhead Turtle Rehab located on the beach.  It was a gorgeous day, no clouds in the sky (a bit windy) and the ocean was an amazing turquoise color.  On our walk from the rehab center to the beach I noticed two women with a trainer on the beach!  How cool and what a great way to save a few bucks, get your workout in and enjoy the beautiful scenery while inhaling that fresh ocean air!  They were using some resistance bands and having their own little class right there on the beach .  

Having a trainer can be expensive, but if you split it with a friend or two and go somewhere interesting like the beach or a quiet park you can get a great workout and have fun in the process.  If you don't feel that you need a trainer just grab a friend and go! Resistance bands made specifically for exercising are a great alternative to bulky weights and are inexpensive, easy to take along and offer just the right amount of resistance to thoroughly work and tone your muscles with a lesser chance of injury. If you use them correctly you get an even better workout because you are getting resistance during the entire movement instead of just during part of the movement with free weights.  They are available in different resistance levels, but you can also double up the band for more resistance.  There are many ways to use them, you can stand on the band and do some bicep curls just as you would with free weights or machines. Another option is to wrap it around a pole or stick in the the door.  You can do many more exercises with resistance bands than you can with machines.  It all depends on where you position the bands.  Use them on your ankle and do some lifts to tone your legs and butt!   Resistance bands can also help to strengthen your core since there is tension throughout the entire move, you need to stabilize your body by tightening your abdominal muscles.  Anytime you are exercising and notice you are off balance, check your abs, are they tightened? The options are endless and you will be really surprised with the results if you stick to it!  

I love resistance bands because they are cheap (between $6-$12) and they are easy to take along with you when traveling. There are plenty of websites online that give great tips and routines for you to follow.