Okay so I went on vacation last week to OBX and prior to leaving I started doing these hip hop tabata workouts and found myself loving them.

So I have done some research on tabata and would love to share for those of you that have never heard of it and/or never tried.  I am intrigued with all types of body movement and the workings of the inner body/mind/spirit.  I think that we all have the capacity to heal and build our best selves.  It is definitely a process and definitely takes work but can also be SO fun and So interesting and the more I learn the more grateful I am for this house of mine.

For me, yoga was what opened me up to the idea of how moving in different directions and in different ways than normal everyday typical movements – really created space inside for me.  The whole saying – if you don’t use it, you lose it.  So I want to keep my body the most well rounded and well oiled machine that I have to carry me through my day to day world and through times of stress.

I personally had heard of tabata a while back – probably in the 90’s and it was touched on again during a wellness retreat I attended a couple years ago.  We did one tabata session and I remember thinking in terms of efficiency to my life – there were no excuses that I couldn’t carve out less than 10 minutes a day.

Upon further research – Tabata is the first workout born in a lab.  It consists of 20 seconds of high intensity movement followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times.  The results after this 4 minute workout included a 28% increase in anaerobic fitness while an hour of cycling showed no improvement.  Tabata’s formula was also compared to other HIIT (High intensity interval training) type training and the results were still better.  Tabata also appears to have an after effect burn on the body for up to 12 hours post exercise.  This form of exercise was developed by Izumi Tabata, a leading sports scientist.  Dr. Tabata credits Olympic Speed Skating Coach Irisawa Koichi for pioneering the technique.

If you are looking or wanting to give it a go – I personally LOVED Keaira LaShae’s Pop Sugar Hip Hop Tabata YouTube video workouts.  They are 25-30 minutes because they do include pre-stretching, cool down, and a water break in between exercises.  She does 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off (repeated 4 times) for about 6-7 diff moves.  I am amazed at how much I sweat, how fun they are, and her commentary is also fab.  In one video – you move from one “club” to another with song changes.

So if you are looking to add some high intensity to your workouts – give it a go and comment and let me know what you thought!

Hope this does your body well!

 

 

 

Have you ever tried letting yourself completely go in an exercise class that involves yelling, sweating, and then meditating? Maybe it’s time to try THE CLASS.

Okay, so maybe I am a tad late to the table because one of the articles I found was dated 2017 so this isn’t a new workout but it is new to me and I absolutely love the concept and tried out a short video thanks to the recommendation of my sis-in-law.  I am intrigued by the benefits of this type of movement, especially in America, and especially during these times.  The founder’s name is Taryn Tommey.

So the concept of the class involves sound – sound produced by none other than YOU.  Sound that stems from your inner being with no editing and comes out of you as raw and natural as humanly possible so that you can feel a release of tension and any bottled up baggage.  It can be as loud as you want or as unconventional sounding as you can make it.  The weirder, the better.  You are encouraged to let the movement of the body bouncing around fearlessly and freely activate and irrigate your inner ground.  It’s a mix of cardio, body conditioning, yoga, and meditation.  It is fully designed to keep bringing someone back to the present moment and facing emotions/feelings/thoughts etc that may be uncomfy but part of life.

In the midst of all the unknown right now, the one thing we have control over is how we choose to to take care of ourselves during this time.  We can either check out, numb, or constantly forge ahead in an effort to never think about —- or we can be with, honor, show ourselves some grace, and let them pass given the time and space they need to.

Even in the short 10 minute class – you can go from bouncing vigorously to stillness momentarily so that you can FEEL your inner world being shook up like a Snowglobe and then feel each piece of snow softly settling into a changed landscape.  A lot of people can spend a good portion of the day simply going through the motions of constant task completion in an effort to stay in sync with the pace of life that has been set in America.  This constant disconnection can lead to tension, short breathing, anxiety, and a host of other issues that are present.  This type of movement made me think of the dancing I witnessed in the Maldives and some of the African dances I have seen on TV.   Very rooted, rhythmic, and free of barrier.

The Class has moments where you break free from “teacher speaks/you do” and it encourages you to do exactly what you NEED not what you may be told you need.  To let it all out on the mat.  To embrace the “crazy”.

In a nutshell, it feels like a wonderful method of movement to try when you are feeling totally stuck with tension, feelings of fear about the future, or feeling controlled maybe by internal/external pressure or expectations.  When you feel yourself get locked up or overwhelmed and heavy- this gives you a method to FIND THAT RELEASE.   Shake it out and connect back to you.  Let go.

Taryn has put a 10 min video specifically for caregivers on Youtube during this time where they are giving SO MUCH. You can check it out at: