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cross-training, exercise balls, foam rollers, home fitness, home yoga, hot yoga, kettlebells, resistance bands, strength yoga, total body workout, yoga, yoga mats, yoga tips, Yoga With Paul
Many of us have found real joy in creating and maintaining a home yoga practice. Now that things are opening up again, we don’t necessarily feel pressured to rush back to the gym or sport centre.
With these five home fitness essentials, you can enjoy varied, challenging at-home workouts that complement your yoga practice, build strength, increase range-of-motion and allow you to explore.
Kettlebells
Fitness experts are pretty near unanimous that kettlebells are a terrific way to get a total body workout with just one piece of equipment. “The magic of the kettlebell appears to have something to do with the cannonball shape and the offset handle, which allow you to manipulate the kettlebell much differently than you could with a dumbbell, barbell, or any other training device,” writes Coach Scott Iardella on Breaking Muscle. “The shape and the handle allow you to perform ballistics and grinds. Ballistics are fast, explosive movements, while grinds are slow and deliberate. This allows for a different type of training experience for faster results.”
Resistance bands
Simply using rubber resistance bands can be a great workout. And unlike other muscle-building equipment they weigh almost nothing and can be stored anywhere. They are also super for travel. Matthew Solan, editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch, writes: “One significant advantage of resistance bands compared with weights is that they provide variable levels of resistance. This is particularly helpful in instances when you’re stuck between weights that are either too light or too heavy.”
Exercise balls
Something about these big, bouncy, bright contraptions brings out the kid in people. They’re fun. And, according to Prevention, “these large, inflatable globes can be extremely useful in helping you to reach your fitness goals (that’s why you’ve seen them at the gym or at a physical therapist’s office). They can help improve your strength, balance, and flexibility.” One great tip is to use them as a desk chair substitute to ‘work out’ when you’re not working out.
Foam rollers
These are a great partner for yoga and excellent for injury rehabilitation and prevention. “Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique. It can help relieve muscle tightness, soreness, and inflammation, and increase your joint range of motion,” according to Healthline. “Foam rolling can be an effective tool to add to your warm-up or cooldown, before and after exercise.” It is a fantastic way to increase the healing potential and relaxation of yoga.
Yoga mats
Quite literally the foundation of our practice, yoga mats are a safe, healing, empowering space for many of us. There is a huge range of options on the market and if your mat has lost its cushioning or is ragged around the edges you might want to consider a new one. Beeco Green has recommendations for sustainable yoga mats to meet a variety of needs, from beginners to hot yogis to extra-tall.
What’s your home workout essential? Share in the comments or Tweet @YogaWithPaul