Equipment Highlight: Resistance Bands

Image courtesy of Stuart.Robbins via flickr

The resistance band is one of my favorite exercise equipment for when I'm traveling and on-the-go. Cheap, lightweight and portable, they definitely easier to shlep around than dumbbells and can provide a decent strength-toning workout. And it's definitely reassuring to know that there's one in my baggage, so I won't feel stressed looking for a gym out-of-town (that charges a fair price) and I feel less compelled to "slack off" during vacations.

They're great for home workouts too, since I can exert as much (or little) force as I want -- some days I might want to test my other strength to the max while other times I just want to do some easier moves for toning and adjustments, or to give my cardio workouts a little extra oompf.

So something to keep in mind when you're traveling next time or just looking for a light-to-moderate toning workout. For some nice basic moves you can do with the bands, check this out.

A little slowdown . . .

Heh, not even two months in and I'm already slacking on my blogposts already. But likewise, my exercise habits have waned considerably too. I haven't completely fallen off the workout wagon, but I've been reducing the frequency and intensity of my exercises as of late - partly due to busy schedules, partly due to general tiredness from aforementioned schedule, and partly just because I felt lazy.

Nonetheless, I'm still managing 3-4 days a week with 30-60 minutes a session, and I don't feel too bad about it since I'm still getting some activity in while acknowledging some mental/physical limits at the moment, but I eagerly anticipate getting back into my regular groove and regimen soon when things calm down a little.