Anytime, Anyplace

(ARA) – With the cost of everything so high these days,

people are looking for ways to trim their budgets. Among

the most obvious places to cut back, eliminating that

morning cup of coffee, bringing a lunch from home

instead of dining out and canceling those services you

can really do without – like cable TV and that gym

membership you don’t really use much anyway.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t stay active, however.

Numerous studies have shown that regular exercise is a

critical part of staying healthy. According to the Centers

for Disease Control (CDC), regular exercise helps people

maintain a healthy weight and delay or prevent the onset

of diabetes and heart problems.

Regular activity is so important, in fact, that the Federal

Government recommends American adults get at least

30 minutes of exercise five times a week. But that doesn’t

necessarily mean you have to head down to the gym,

which can be more of a chore than a fun activity, not to

mention expensive.

Here are some ideas for getting that 30 minute workout

anytime, anyplace:

1. Most employers offer an hour long lunch break and two 15-minute breaks throughout the

day. Use some of that time to get up and get moving.

If you work in a tall building with lots of floors, use your break time to go up and down the

stairs. If stair climbing is not an option, walk around the building at a brisk pace a couple of

times a day, stopping occasionally to stretch.

2. If you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad, turn the baby stroller into work-out equipment.

Head on down to the park or just around the block with baby once or twice a day and as you

move, use the stroller as a piece of work-out equipment. You can jog behind it, incorporate

walking lunges and use bands for resistance training. Not only will you get the benefit of

exercise, your baby will love it.

3. Take up sports hula hooping.

Ten minutes worth of vigorously wiggling your hips and moving around can burn off 110

calories, which is about as much as you’d burn if jogging or running an 8-minute mile. But

burning calories quickly isn’t the only benefit the activity offers. It also promotes correct body

alignment from the circular motions and proper posture in the upper body.

Substitute that light, plastic hula hoop your kids play with for a weighted one like the Acu

Hoop offered by California’s Sports Hoop, Inc., and you can get even more health benefits.

When swiveled for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, weighted sports hoops can provide

cardiovascular benefits, help tone muscles, burn calories and fat and facilitate weight loss.

Do it religiously every day, and you can trim your waist two inches and lose four pounds

every month until fit.

Weighted hoops come in a variety of styles and sizes, ranging from 1- to- 6-pounds in weight.

No matter which one you choose to use, here’s how to get started:

1) Find enough space around you. Keep your feet one foot wide. Relax your knees, waist and

body.

2) Relax your elbows. Lift the hoop and place it tightly against the back of your waist.

3) Grasp the hoop and keep it in a horizontal position before swinging out. Do not position the

hoop at a tilt.

4) Horizontally swing out the hoop against your waist, fast and powerfully. Move your waist

immediately.

5) Move your waist in a circular motion, all around pressing against the hoop.

6) Keep your motion fast enough to match the circulation speed of the hoop for it to stay up

on your waist.

“The best thing about hula-hooping,” says personal trainer Rosemary Torres, “is it can be

done anytime, anywhere.”

It is estimated there are now more than one million people throughout the United States using

Sports Hoops as their major waist-trimming fitness equipment. For more information on the

weighted hoops offered by California Sports Hoop, Inc., or to place an order, visit

www.sports-hoop.com or call toll free (866) 700-5668.

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