Workouts

In these tough economic times, many people are tightening their belts and cutting back on spending. However, if part of that financial belt tightening includes canceling your gym membership, the resulting paunch around your waist may cause your belt to fight back a bit. Thankfully, it's entirely possible to get a good workout without a stitch of fitness equipment, and chief among the many great muscle-toning, equipment-free exercises you can do is the push-up.

In among the plethora of gadgets that hit the shelves every week, one or two catch my eye (or rather the press release catches my eye). BodiBeat is a portable music player from Yamaha that detects your jogging or walking speed - and alters the music selection accordingly.

Five Factor Diet, by Harley Pasternak, has been growing in popularity - due to celebrities like Jessica Simpson and John Mayer using the plan.

What is it about, and is it a good program?

Us magazine recently talked to Jessica Biel's personal trainer Jason Walsh to garner some workout tips.

I list these here not so you can try and be Jessica Biel - but because the advice is very interesting.

"Super fit and on top of their game, the 20 second workout girls are serious about fitness;..."

Put these figures on your desk then wind them up. Choose from leg extensions, treadmill, stair-stepper, or recumbent bicycle. See them here.

(via Healthbolt)

Apparently almost 1 million Americans have taken Zumba classes. Zumba is a style of intense dance-aerobics workout with pulsating latin music. "It's a party," Jones said in trying to describe Zumba (pronounced ZOOM-buh), which is Colombian slang for "fast." "It emulates being in a nightclub without the drinking, the smoking, the bad pickup lines." (via Yahoo)

Audio and video workouts for portable devices have become very popular over the last year. There are also workouts for certain mobile phones.

There are many places you can download these - with sites offering very professional and effective workout packages.

Here are some sites to check out. This list will be maintained.

Exercise needs motivation. Without motivation you might never get up off the couch.

Currently there seems to be a deluge of MP3 or audio workouts. This week I took Cardio Coach for a road test and was pleasantly surprised.

It's unfortunate that so many people view exercise as a painful chore. There are so many different forms of exercise out there. You don't have to bore yourself with 45 minutes on the treadmill, or a repetitive weight lifting routine.

One such unusual form of exercise is Kettlebell training. Over the last 6 months or so, there's been a lot more talk about this old and rugged form of training.

Most hi-tech gadgets seem like nothing more than a bunch of expensive toys. Every now and then someone will think of a very cool idea. PumpPod is just that, and is a lot cheaper than a personal trainer. You can download different video-based workouts to your portable device - such as one of the newer iPods.

PumpPod currently have about 10 different workouts covering Strength, Endurance, Weight Loss, Flexibility, and Heart Health.

65 year old Dan Hamner has an unusual exercise program. He calls it "Cave Man Medicine". "Cave Man Medicine" opens with a Tarzanesque pounding of the upper abs, then the midsection and again on the lower abs, at the top of your pelvic bone.

Ever since the Sony Walkman appeared in the 1980s, exercising has never been the same. The song "Headphones" by Icelandic singer Bjork captures the feeling well: "My headphones. They saved my life".