Fitness on the go

Portable fitness tools like therabands, tubings, Swiss balls and calorie counters are the rage with the young, writes Nutan Sehgal

The inflatable Swiss ball can tone up any part of the body.

Even as web journalist Richa Misra was planning to leave office for the day, she got a call from her editor that she would have to stay back for a breaking news. She’d had a weary day but she knew there was no escaping this urgent work.

Instead of downing a cup of coffee and closing her eyes for a few moments to refresh herself, Richa did something different. She pulled out a Swiss ball from her handbag, inflated it and did some back crunching exercises. Within minutes she looked relaxed and raring to go.

Magic? Not really. But one of the many new contraptions that promise to keep you fit and healthy without regular visits to gyms or punishing fitness schedules.

Thanks to companies like Reebok, Nike, Adidas and others, the fitness market is seeing a flood of light, portable fitness devices which not just promise to banish stress but also help build your abs, biceps, triceps and tone up other muscles of the body without the negative impact of heavy duty machines on joints, bones and muscles.

Therabands, tubings, Swiss balls, stability trainers, rebounders, hand exercisers, flex bars, fat percentage monitors, calorie counters all comprise a personal gym that you can carry in a small bag wherever you go.

These portable fitness contraptions make it easy to incorporate an exercise programme that fits into your lifestyle.

Leading companies say these fitness tools have been developed after extensive research and have been tried and tested for their benefits.

They are not just beneficial in toning the body, building strength and conditioning but also have a positive cardiovascular impact. Used extensively in the West, they are now picking up in India.

Take for example the inflatable Swiss ball. This wonder apparatus can tone up any part of the body. You can work your abs, do push ups, squats and a number of other exercises to keep you in top form. Abdominal exercises on a Swiss ball may be far more effective than conventional floor based techniques. Its benefits are many — it helps in improving postural balance, flexibility, core conditioning, all of which, in turn, relax the body.

Apart from the Swiss ball, there are the lightweight therabands and tubings to develop muscles, firm legs and flat stomachs. These are elastic bands in varying degrees of resistance which allow you to perform hundreds of exercises for all muscle groups with the same piece of equipment.

The bands can effectively develop your upper body including your biceps, triceps, wings and shoulders. Attach them to hand grips and then standing on them try pulling them upwards and in mere 20 repetitions you can feel the effect.

A combination of the Swiss ball with tubings and therabands can provide a whole range of exercises for complete body toning. These exercise tools have been endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and are available in different resistance levels. Many of these gizmos have immense therapeutic value as well. They are of help in rehabilitation programmes of people suffering from back, knee and ankle injuries.

Along with these tools, there are gadgets that can tell your exact fitness levels at any instant. The fat percentage and calorie-counting monitors can provide you a complete update on your fitness level.

Then, there are the calorie-counting metres that are in-built in watches and chest wraps. They are very handy as they help monitor data concerning the calories burnt during a workout.

The entire lot of a Swiss ball, tubing, theraband, fat percentage and calorie counting monitors can fit in a small bag and can be taken wherever you go — on a vacation or an official tour or even to your office for a quick mid-day work out. So there is no need to be a gym rat. Go ahead and grab these new-age fitness tools. — NF