Fit for Fat in Beijing

An overseas'posting, holiday or study tour can be an excuse to let the fitness routine slide. Everyone's heard of or experienced the situation where you come home a little heavier than you left－ and we're not talking about the gifts in your suitcase!

At Beijing This Month were determined to be good hosts while you re in our town, and not let that happen to you! We want to make sure the only thing that expands while you are here is your business network!

We propose to do this by listing the most popular fitness trends from around the globe along with some local favourites and matching them with convenient and high-quality service providers right here in Beijing. So get your running shoes on and check out whats on offer.

Pilates

Invented by Joseph H. Pilates more than 75 years ago, this series of floor movements and apparatus exercises (which proponents claim combine the best of Eastern and Western conditioning programmes) reached its current level of massive popularity only in the last decade. Pilates demands two sessions a week, and promises you'll feel the difference after 10 sessions, see the difference after 20 sessions － and that others will see the difference after 30 sessions.

'Boxercise' or  'Boxaerobics'

An extremely physical form of exercise that mirrors the kinds of training Olympic boxers endure. Constantly moving, hands held in front of the face in the classic 'boxing' stance, the exercise looks a lot like what a previous generation would have called  'shadow boxing'. Because of the high level of aggression involved, proponents claim this physical regime helps them develop the sort of mental toughness associated with success in life.

Indoor Cycling or 'Spinning'

If you've got a mental picture of sedately pedalling a fixed bicycle, maybe with a portable MP3 player taking you to your own 'zone' you have never seen a Spin Class! Indoor cycling has gone extremely high energy. Because cycling is a very 'low impact ' activity (especially if your cycle is kept at low resistance), there is a huge potential for cardiovascular aerobic workout in 'riding'  your indoor bicycle very, very fast! Add high-volume dance music, and an instructor who rides at the front of the room exhorting you not to quit now, and when to turn the resistance up, and you have spin. Much more fun than it sounds!

Yoga

Yoga is actually a set of holistic spiritual beliefs, but most people know it purely for the exercise regime part of the system that takes the same name. Devotees will tell you that there are as many systems as there are people doing yoga, but in fact it is fairly easy to divide yoga into several different "schools"  that have quite different emphasis. Characterised by its gentle stretches and subtle position changes, breathing exercises and minimal equipment, yoga can be practised well into old age.

Tai Chi

No list of exercises available in Beijing would be complete without mentioning China's homegrown perennial favourite, Tai Chi. Westerners who follow a Tai Chi exercise regime often report that they  'picked it up' on a visit to China and they saw no reason to stop. Often associated with the crowds of senior citizens one sees in Chinese public parks on weekends, Tai Chi can really be done anywhere once one has learnt a personalised set of movements. There s no excuse for spending any length of time in Beijing and not at least getting out there and trying it once!

Circuit Training

When was the last time you tried a personalised circuit regimen? If it was more than two years ago, youd be surprised how much has changed in the gym. If it was more than five years ago you probably won t even think you are in a gym, because circuit machines and techniques have changed that much! Evolving constantly, it's even no longer the case that you need to circuit with a buddy because of the potential danger from misusing machines. These days the machines are safe, fun, and don't force you to adopt uncomfortable or embarrassing positions for lengthy periods of time. And it doesn't take that much effort to get a personal programme set up. Unless you arrive at the gym at a peak time, there will usually be an instructor available to advise you on your individual needs. Modern and well-equipped circuits can be found in Beijing.

Water Programmes

Suffered a sporting injury? Recovering from illness or surgery? Even if you're in perfect health, a water programme can be a fun, low-impact and low-key addition to your personal fitness regime.

Express Exercise

Largely following the trend set by Curves International, a chain of fitness clubs for women only, many other clubs and fitness organisations have begun offering shorter alternatives to the traditional hour long  fitness session. The basic idea driving Curves to pioneer this new trend was that, in this busy modern world, their customers had everything but time. Usually based around an accelerated circuit programme (some as short as 15 minutes), Express Exercise regimes also quite often vary the type of exercise, adding an express spinning class, or 'express yoga'  to vary the experience. We're sure you'll see a lot more of this kind of programme in the future, as almost every international fitness chain has implemented an express exercise programme.

Sports-based Programmes

It's sometimes hard to see the benefit in  'pumping iron' on a circuit, when all you really want from your fitness programme is to drop a shot (or three!) in golf, or be able to land your killer badminton forehand without that killer twinge behind your right shoulder. Sports-based training is gaining in popularity, because unlike a general fitness routine you can usually immediately see results in the competitive game that ordinarily comprises the bulk of your exercise anyway. Particularly strong in the golfing community, sports-based programmes target the muscle groups most often used in your game of choice, as well as paying particular attention to strengthening the  'support system' for those well-used areas. Golfers, for example, have reported remarkable improvements to their games by simply adding the right series of stretches before a round. For sports-based training in Beijing you need to ask at the club where you play your chosen sport, but for short-stay visitors, here's a few to get you going: golf, tennis, squash and badminton.

Martial Arts Programmes

What better way to get fit than to learn to kick butt at the same time?! Actually, the desire to cut some moves on the mean streets is one of the first things trained out of you in any martial arts programme. Instead, modern martial arts fitness routines generally focus on all-over tone, and the all-important aspect of flexibility. Often this kind of fitness scheme is called  'mind and body' fitness, because the mental aspect of martial arts can make adherents calmer, and more able to think clearly in a crisis. Beijing is richly endowed with both traditional Chinese martial arts schools and also training centres for Korean, Thai and Japanese martial arts, among others including Wu Shu, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, Karate, Judo, Tai Kwon Do and Thai kickboxing.

Tired Yet?

We hope you're as convinced as we are that there's no excuse for packing a  'spare tire' when you head home from Beijing! The exercise options are unlimited, and there s something for every taste. See you in the gym!

Where can you find these exercises?

Beijing Evolution Fitness Centre

Add: Da Bei Yao Property Center, 2 (S) East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6567-0266, 6567-3499

Pilates, Boxercise, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Tai Chi, Circuit Training, Water Programs, Express Exercise, Sports-based Programs, Martial Arts Programs

Nirvana Fitness Club

Add: The west building of Great Dragon Hotel, 2 Gongtibei Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 6597-2008/9

Pilates, Boxercise, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Tai Chi, Circuit Training, Express Exercise, Sports-based Programs

Bally Total Fitness

Add: W/1, Channan Grand Theater, 7 Jianguomennei Dajie, Dongcheng District

Tel: 6518-1666

Pilates, Boxercise, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Tai Chi, Circuit Training, Express Exercise, Sports-based Programs

Body Works Fitness Centre

Add: 5/F, Tower D, Chengming Building, 2 Xizhimennan Dajie, Xicheng District

Tel: 6615-8800, 6615-8811

Pilates, Boxercise, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Circuit Training, Water Programs, Express Exercise, Sports-based Programs

Powerland Fitness Centre

Add: 3 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang District

Tel: 8454-5500

Pilates, Boxercise, Indoor Cycling, Express Exercise