A common misconception people have is that to be healthy, in shape, or build muscle, one must invest in a gym membership, a personal trainer, and go to group fitness classes or start lifting weights.
However, gyms, trainers, and fitness classes take a lot of time and can be quite expensive. Between work, family, the PTA, Netflix and our day-to-day lives, finding time and motivation to work out can be very difficult.
Fortunately, unless you want to join a body building competition, the aforementioned misconception couldn’t be any further from the truth. In fact, one great way to increase your health while building cardiovascular and physical strength in the process is to utilize your own body weight.
Besides being convenient and cost efficient, body weight exercises have many other lesser known benefits over joining a gym and lifting weights. The following are some of our favorite benefits of body weight exercise:
- You can work at your own pace. There is no waiting for the machine or weight you need. Also, since there is no equipment involved, transitions between exercises are minimized, allowing for a higher intensity workout in less time.
- Burn more calories. According to research, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that utilizes body weight exercises are highly efficient at burning calories and increasing the speed of your metabolism.
- Keep your workout interesting. There are a variety of body weight exercises that one can do which helps reduce the “boring” factor of simply lifting weights or jogging on a treadmill.
- Anyone can do them. It doesn’t matter your age, height, or weight. If you can move, you can complete a body weight exercise.
- Improves balance. This is a great benefit for our elderly loved ones. Not only can body weight exercises keep them healthy but it can help reduce their risk of a fall which could potentially save their life.
- You can do it anywhere. You don’t have to drive to the gym or go to a special area to work out. You can do body weight exercises outside, inside, at the office, or even while watching TV.
- Reduced risk of injury. Since body weight exercises utilize your own weight and can be customized to be low-impact on your joints the chance of experiencing an injury is greatly reduced.
Another great way to reduce the stress and impact forces exercise has on your body is to utilize SmartCells Performance Training mats and Zelus insoles.
The unique SmartCells act like springs that cushion and return energy, which can reduce impact stress on joints by up to 90%* while at the same providing a safe, stable surface for workouts. *(1” thick using ATSM F355 – 10a)
The family of SmartCells Performance Training products utilizes the same technology that has long been trusted by major companies as an anti-fatigue solution for their standing workers and, in senior living settings, as a solution to keep senior citizens safe from fall-related injuries.
Available in three different colors (Black, Light Brown, and Grey) as well as three different sizes (36”X60”, 52”X60”, 52”X88”), the remarkable SmartCells Performance Training mats are low profile (1/2”) and have molded-in beveled edges. For custom applications, SATECH offers custom-sized mats as well as a wall-to-wall flooring option that is perfect for gyms and aerobics flooring.
Want to enjoy SmartCells Cushioning on-the-go?
Check out our all-new line of Zelus Insoles. Our insoles come in two styles (Simply SmartCells Cushioning and SmartCells Cushioning with arch support), and are biomechanically designed to reduce pain, improve performance and prevent future injuries. You can learn more about them at www.zelusinsoles.com.
SmartCells Performance Training: I feel good!