Find an affordable gym
Despite the gain we might make from going to the gym, the monetary loss is often greater. But there are actually some more affordable options out there.
PureGym,is one of our favourites, as memberships starts at a purse-friendly £9.99 a month with no fixed contract, and members have access to gyms 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are 80 operating PureGyms across the UK, so the odds are you’ve got one close by. Whether you love pumping iron while admiring your reflection, or burning steam on the treadmill, there’s tonnes of equipment to keep you fit, and lots of other members to hang out with too.
Take up cold yoga
Inspired by the traditional teachings of Bikram yoga, ‘ski-ram’ yoga is the first ever cold yoga workout designed to get you mountain ready. But even if you’re not planning on any arduous expeditions, it can be invigorating and keep you toned.
Crystal Ski Holidays – the ski and snowboarding specialists – introduced the new workout, which takes place in a walk-in fridge… So this is one you probably can’t do at home.
Expert yoga instructor Gaby Flemming said that doing yoga at two degrees Celsius acclimatises sport lovers for a cold winter and gets skiers and boarders limbered up for the season ahead. Those feeling numb at the thought of it will be pleased to hear that a five-minute ‘cool-down-warm- up’ session outside the cold room brings yogis back up to room temperature at the end.
Steve Hunter, a specialist in health and exercise at London South Bank University said: “When working out in a colder environment excess heat will be removed from the body which means that the individual can control core body temperature more effectively.”
Give boxing yoga a try
If you’ve been a bit overwhelmed or put off by many of yoga’s more traditional conventions like chanting, incense and Sanskrit terminology, you’ll be happy to hear that boxing yoga strips those out and focuses on streamlined activity, directly targeting improved sporting performance.
This has got to be one of the most entertaining ways to have a controlled core work out, and you can release a hell of a lot of tension too. And what could make boxing more challenging than doing it on one leg?
Actually, boxing yoga is designed to directly and efficiently target the areas of the body that boxers and fighters need to train. It brings together the physical elements of traditional Hatha Yoga and the technicalities of boxing.
If none of these take your fancy, why not make up your own sport or discipline? A bit of cold tennis swimming perhaps?
