Health Topics
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Healthy Living
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December 2011
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| Top 5 Picks for a Home Gym |
| Shwetha Mabel |
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Too busy to hit the gym? You can bring the gym home! You do not need bulky and expensive equipment to work up a sweat. The demand for simpler fitness tools to condition the body is on the rise. |
These tools require nominal investment, can be customized to your time schedule and fitness level, are portable and have a high fun quotient. Moreover, they put the emphasis back on the body doing the exercise and not the machine.
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Stability Ball
The stability ball is one of the most effective fitness tools to strengthen the core. The ball can be integrated into fitness routines not just to develop core strength but also to improve overall balance and flexibility. This versatile gear provides a total body workout when combined with other fitness equipments such as dumbbells and barbells. The ball can be added to cardio movements as well.
Approximate cost: Rs 600 to Rs 800 |
Jump Rope
The jump rope is more than a child’s play toy – it’s a gear healthy adults can use to get high-intensity aerobic exercise. It’s great for the heart, strengthens the upper and lower body and burns a lot of calories in short time. You can use jump rope at intervals in a combined aerobic and strengthening programme.
Approximate cost: Rs 150 |
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Tubing
Elastic resistance offers participants resistance both during the lifting as well as the lowering phase. By using only an exercise band one can tone up all the major muscle groups in a single workout. With different tubing tensions (coded by colour), exercises can be tailored to individual fitness levels and needs.
Approximate cost: Rs 800 to Rs 1200 |
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Hoop
Spinning a hoop is a fresh and fun way to burn calories. Hooping is a low-impact exercise that directly targets your abdomen, waist and hips. You can burn up to 100 calories in 10 minutes while losing inches off your waist. The larger you are, the bigger the hoop should be.
Approximate cost: Rs 150 |
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Kettlebell
Kettlebells are quickly becoming the go-to training method for elevating functional workouts for a wide variety of fitness enthusiasts. The kettlebell is an excellent tool to strengthen the back, shoulders and arms. The most common kettlebell exercise is the swing, which should be viewed as the foundation exercise. Each exercise involves multiple joints and muscle groups plus momentum.
Approximate cost: Rs 180 per kg; weights start from 2 kg onwards |
While the stability ball, exercise bands and tubes, and kettlebells are widely available at your local fitness retail store, the jump rope and the hoop can be purchased from any sports or toy store. |
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