For the past 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a fair share of stress and anxiety.And while managing those emotions can be tough, regular exercise is one of the best ways to care for your body and mind.
From keeping your body in healthier shape to managing a better state of mental health, there are countless benefits of maintaining a regular exercise routine. You can reduce your risk of developing diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. You can also lower your blood pressure and manage your weight more effectively.
The effects exercise has on your mental health are also unbeatable. Mental health professionals everywhere suggest exercise to their patients. Along with stress and anxiety relief, your mood improves and your mental awareness increases.
While exercise is a powerful way to calm your mind (and take care of your body), responsibilities like maintaining your career, raising your family, or attempting to have a social life can make it harder to stay active.And sometimes, your usual workout routine can get a bit stale.
If you find yourself feeling a bit more burnt out these days, you need to find a new activity to get your blood pumping and have some fun.Here are our 10 best exercises to try out to keep your exercise routine fresh and exciting in the new year.
1. Acro Yoga
Acro Yoga incorporates exactly what it sounds like — acrobatics and yoga. Don’t let visions of circus-level poses come to mind; this practice is all about flowing and partnership.
Acro involves lots of different moves that range from beginning level to expert. This form of exercise is great for building strength,improving balance, as well as flexibility and focus.
Most Acro classes don’t require you to bring a partner with you.But if you’re ready to tumble with a fellow yogi, try it out before you find a class!
And don’t forget to put on your pair of Tucketts grip socks for added stability while you flow.
2. Kickboxing
Kickboxing is one of the best workout programs you can do. Combining cardio and strength training, this high-energy workout tones your muscles and burns fat. It’s also great for building up stamina and improving your coordination.
What’s especially extraordinary about this workout is how quickly it can transform your body. As you’re working on your strikes, jabs, and kicks, you’re also engaging in cardio. With the constant movement, you won’t realize how much time has passed during your session.
Kickboxing is offered in group class settings, as well as individual sessions. Typically, classes are BYOG (bring your own gloves), and it’s suggested you wear comfortable athletic shoes (although bare feet or grip socks are allowed).
3. The Sculpt Society App by Megan Roup
As a new mother and someone who works from home, trainer Meagan Roup knows how difficult it can be to find the right exercise method. In an effort to reach her own goals, stay motivated, and have fun with her daily exercise routine, she created her app, The Sculpt Society.
Roup’s classes range from 5 to 50 minutes, so no matter what your schedule is you can squeeze in a quick sweat. Throw on your favorite pair of Tucketts toeless grip socks to wick away sweat and keep you from sliding around on your mat or floor.
She designs her workout experiences to include dance, yoga, stretch, and sculpting. For the mamas out there, she also has created prenatal and postnatal programs.
This is one of the best workout apps for women to try at home. You don’t have to commit right away, either. You can do a 7-day trial for free before you’re billed monthly or annually.
4. Rowing
Even the most avid runners can grow tired of running, whether that’s on a treadmill or outdoors. Still, cardio is an important part of a healthy exercise schedule.
Rowing is a great way to get your cardio in while doing a full body workout.A rowing stroke consists of 65-75% leg work and 25-35% upper body work. It’s also low impact, which is sustainable for your joint health.
This form of exercising is especially awesome because of how accessible it is — most gyms offer rowing machines.You can also find groups in your area who offer rowing-focused classes, or buy an at-home rower for easy access anytime.
If you’re interested in other ways you can get your cardio in without heading to the gym, here’s a list of cardio exercises at home!
5. Bokwa
You’ve heard of Zumba but have you given Bokwa a shot? This is a new style of dance workout, and one of the most fun exercises to lose weight you can try out.
Rooted in the South African musical tradition of Kwaito, Bokwa combines cardio and strength training with heart-pumping routines and easy-to-learn steps. While there are dance moves provided by instructors, you’re also encouraged to improvise as you move and groove to the hip-hop-centric tunes. It’s best to keep an open mind and have fun.
Bokwa is open to all ages and folks of all fitness levels. It’s cardio-intensive, but there are always modifications to fit your needs.
6. Ballet
As an adult, ballet may seem a little intimidating to start up.Butit’s an excellent workout for the whole body, and can be learned at any age.
As a weight-bearing form of exercise, ballet strengthens your muscles, promotes healthy bones, and burns calories.
Your core is activated while dancing, helping to promote a healthy posture which can reduce your risk of injury as you age. Ballet also improves your flexibility, which helps maintain strong, healthy muscles.
There are many YouTube ballet tutorials and intro level ballet classes to get started. Be sure to keep your muscles warm before and after your workout with Tucketts leg warmers>
7. Pound
Pound is a cardio-based class that mimics playing the drums — you’re even armed with sticks. No music plays from the speakers — instead,you slam your arms to the beat you create alongside choreography.
Pound incorporates cardio, conditioning, strength training, and yoga and pilates-inspired movements throughout the workout. The “drum sticks” are lightly weighted and specifically designed for exercising.
This is another workout program that inspires its participants to let loose, have fun, and get energized while you work out. All ages and abilities are welcome to try a class out. If you never thought of yourself as a “musician” before, this may change your mind!
8. Slacklining
If you’ve ever gone to the park and seen someone walking across what looks to be a tightrope between 2 trees, you’ve seen slacklining in action.
This portable form of exercise may look like a simple balancing act that offers many health benefits.
All your muscles and tendons work together to keep you on top of the slackline. With practice, you’ll discover how you can better distribute your weight as you walk. Because you’re constantly making small changes in how to move your body, you become in tune with your body as you walk across the rope.
If you have a couple of trees in your backyard or you live close to a park area, all you really need is a piece of webbing (not a rope) and a tension system. Be sure you’re about 2 feet from the ground, so if you do step off you don’t hurt yourself.
Once you’ve mastered your balance, you can start to implement fun tricks. Add extra grip with Tucketts Allegro style sock — you’ll be able to hold onto the webbing for longer.
9. Aerial Yoga
Also referred to as anti-gravity yoga, aerial yoga shares a lot of similarities with traditional yoga. Due to being suspended in the air while you practice, you get more full-body movement as you’re stretching and strengthening all of your muscles more efficiently.
This makes for a fun workout that pushes your body to burn more calories than traditional yoga because you have to stay balanced on the hammock and while you control the silks.
While everyone can benefit from aerial yoga classes, they’re particularly awesome for people who have back pain. There’s far less pressure being placed on your joints, making it low impact.
Yogis of all levels are encouraged to try this style out. As you do, flow and fly in extra comfort with a pair of aerial socks >
10. Dance Church
Dance Church is on a mission to empower dancers of all styles and abilities everywhere. With their Sunday morning live streams, whole communities dance together in their living rooms. Filled with throwback ‘90s jams and loosely guided freestyle moves, this makes for a liberating and exciting way to exercise.
Once you sign up for your account, you gain full access to their library of on-demand workout videos for a year. You can also just do the Sunday live streams, which include a suggested $15 donation — but they won’t turn you away if you can’t give that much.
Put on your favorite funky workout outfit, clear out your living room, and get ready to dance. Ages 13 and up are welcome to take part in these wild dance sessions. Warm-up with Tucketts leg warmers – keep your muscles loose and injury free as you dance!
Sport the Right Socks for Your New Exercise Routine
It’s always the right time to set goals for boosting health and wellness. But new routines can be challenging to keep up after the first few weeks.Allow yourself time to get used to your new workout, monitoring your progress, and celebrating yourself will keep you engaged.
No matter how you keep yourself healthy and fit, choose an activity that you love and enjoy doing. That means leaving behind parts of your routine and adding in new, exciting forms of exercise.
The right apparel for your workouts can reinforce your drive to keep going. Comfortable clothes, supportive shoes, and the right socks. Let’s be real – much of the comfort of your exercise experience starts from the bottom, up.
Tucketts workout socks have strong grips for stability, open toes for flexible mobility, or soles that stay clean and dry for a comfortable workout.
Shop our latest Fierce collection to get excited for exercise! >
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