Learning Mandarin - Fit for fat in Beijing

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Fit for fat in Beijing

(Beijing This Month)
Updated: 2006-12-27 14:57



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!

Here we 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!


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Editors' Picks




� Fit for fat in Beijing

� Something other than Curse of Golden Flowers, please!

� Season of sales

� All I want for Christmas...

� Chill out in comfort this winter





Beijing Guide




Eating out: Festive afternoon tea
Bars&Cafes: Cheap and cheerful
Weekend&Holiday: Enjoy real mountain skiing
Shopping: To drive, or not to drive
What's on: Recent performances







Shanghai Guide


Eating out: New healthy provincial Chinese cuisine
Bars&Cafes: Amnesia Ibiza
Weekend&Holiday: Yoga theme releases power within
Shopping: Men's skin care in focus
What's on: Replicas of work by Rodin





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