Mind-Body Workouts
There's more to being fit than just burning a lot of calories. Increasing flexibility and decreasing stress are also part of overall fitness. These are some benefits of tai chi, yoga and other meditative workouts.
And, as CBS News Saturday Morning's fitness expert Bonnie Kaye reports after attending this year's IDEA World Fitness Conference, now some classes combine several types of so-called mind-body workouts into one.
One class, Mind-Body Circuit, borrows from the idea of circuit training, where participants alternate between a variety of exercises, such as weight training or calisthenics. This class adds a unique twist, however; all the exercises are of a more relaxing nature.
"There are also mind-body terms that are esoteric such as chi," says Debbie Rosas, co-creator of the class. "And you will find a language and a different kind of movement and a different speed when you come into a mind-body class."
The class goes through several cycles. One draws from tai chi movements for a warm-up. Chi is a Chinese term referring to the body's life energy. Practitioners of this ancient martial-arts form believe that if a person's chi, or energy flow, is blocked, he or she isn't balanced, physically, emotionally or spiritually.
Another cycle incorporates an aerobic component with a unique variety of dancing and martial arts-based moves called Nia, to elevate the heart rate and get the body moving. Freedom of expression and smiling are encouraged. (In Swahili, nia means with purpose. As an acronymn, it also stands for, Neuromuscular Integrative Action, according to The Nia Technique Web site.)
A third cycle provides students with a sampling of traditional yoga moves, for strength and flexibility, and to slow things back down again.
Another class designed to bring you in touch with your chi is the Chi Ball Method. Instructor Monica Linford came up with the idea of using a lightweight inflatable scented ball to help people perform these movements more smoothly. After all, directing your chi isn't a familiar concept to everyone.
"I realized that people were uncomfortable with purist forms of yoga, tai chi," Linford says.
"And I found by integrating these concepts and introducing the ball, gave them the focus and made them a little more comfortable with trying these different aspects and bridging the gap between modern fitness and purist forms," she adds.
It also slows the movement down. "Most people are so fast in their lives and in their exercises and to suddenly go into a tai chi class and move so slowly is very disorientating. And they find they get very impatient and irritated," Linford says.
"But suddenly, with this ball in the hand,...they welcome the slowness, she explains.
Plus the ball can make people feel like they are participating in a more athletic event, like basketball, for instance. "It takes u back to childhood, the fun we had playing with balls," Linford says.
And even grown-ups like to feel like kids every now and again. "So it helps people unwind, the tension and the stress that builds as adults. It's a little reminder to not take ourselves quite so seriously," she says.
An exercise program should serve to make you feel invigorated and relaxed, not stressed out. Both the chi ball and mind-body circuit classes can achieve just that, each in a unique way.
For more information, explore the following Web sites: Chi Ball Method and The Nia Technique.
And to learn more about the 1999 World Fitness IDEA Convention, go to www.ideafit.com. The conference gathers fitness professionals to exchange ideas and share the latest workout trends.
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