Bored with your current workout? Try a fitness regimen that also helps maintain your equilibrium.
Long and Lean with Lagree
If you’ve tried Pilates, you know how good it is for strengthening your core. Lagree takes it a step further by applying techniques used in other types of resistance training, like weightlifting.
As in Pilates, you’ll work on a machine that uses springs for resistance/assistance, but where Pilates tends to focus on faster movements, you’ll use slow, controlled ones to work multiple muscle groups at a time. Lagree is said to be one of the best ways to build long, lean muscle form, and is an excellent way to improve balance and posture. Try it at the Lagree West studio. lagreewest.com
Yoga, Anywhere, Any Time
There’s nothing like perfecting your tree pose for improving your balance, but it can, at times, be challenging to find the right yoga class at the right time. Do Yoga with Me has solved that problem by offering hundreds of yoga classes online, many led by local yogis, many of them free. It’s owned by brothers David and Sean Procyshyn, who are committed to honouring what yoga is meant to be: “honest, generous, community-focused, service-oriented and transformative.” Whether you want a beginner class focusing on core strength or an advanced one to improve balance, you’re sure to find it here. doyogawithme.com
Boxing for Fun and Fitness
You may never want to actually step into the ring and knock someone’s lights out, but throwing a few punches is one of the best all-body workouts there is. Boxing builds strength, improves cardiovascular fitness, burns calories (400 to 500 an hour) and pummels stress. But most of all, because it involves so much fancy footwork, it’s terrific for improving balance, which is why boxing is sometimes recommended for people dealing with Parkinson’s disease or strokes. In Victoria, try your hand at boxing for exercise at, among others, the Island MMA Training Centre (islandmma.com), Island Boxing (islandboxing.ca) or, for a circuit-training experience, 30 Minute Hit (30minutehit.com).