Workout: 6 tips for an added twist
Can’t face another blah session on the elliptical? From trapeze to monkey movements, we offer six ways to spice up your routine.
1. TAKE IT TO THE ZOO
Spend an hour at Aeküus in Montreal (aekuus.com) and your body will have a light-bulb moment. You’ll find yourself bounding from one corner to the next like a monkey, with one hand on the ground and the other overhead, or crawling inches from the floor like Spider-Man scaling a building. The exercises originate from basic calisthenics and expand into endless variations, many of which are animal-inspired quadrupedal motions. You’ll start with posture, breathing and fundamental movements (walking, falling, sitting), then increase the intensity and incorporate elements such as martial arts, J-Kae band work and jump rope. “After a year and a half with us, you’re basically capable of training by yourself,” says co-founder Julien Karl. Demonstrating an advanced technique, he grabs the outer edge of a staircase, each hand on a different step, and lifts his legs parallel to the floor. Sold.
2. JOIN THE CIRCUS
Jukari Fit To Fly has finally made its way to Toronto from its hometown of Montreal: Kingwest Fitness (kingwestfitness.com) is the first studio outside Quebec to offer this class, which is the love child of Cirque du Soleil and Reebok. Jukari involves circus-like moves that utilize your body weight and gravity via the trapeze-inspired FlySet affixed to the ceiling—you’ll be challenged to support yourself as you swing and leap in circles while holding on to the weighted bar, or wield the bar for a baton-twirling shoulder workout. Channel your inner trapéziste and spin, twirl and fly.
3. WORK OUT, PRAY, LOVE
“Intensati is based on ‘inten,’ which stands for intention, and ‘sati,’ a Sanskrit word that means mindfulness or awareness,” says personal trainer Aliza Blair, the only instructor in Canada certified to teach it (satilife.com). Developed by New Yorker Patricia Moreno, the program blends yoga, martial arts, dance and a dash of self-help-style emoting. “Every move has an affirmation attached to it,” says Blair. While you’re in a deep plié, you hold your hands in a heart shape pulsating over your chest (the real-life version of a cartoon character falling in love at first sight) and say aloud: “Yes, I want it. I really, really want it.”
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