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New Equipment Spotlight: The Sled  

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MINT keeps things fresh by adding new workout equipment to its offerings. One of the latest additions is the Sled, a resistance training device with full-body benefits. 

The Sled is a versatile piece of equipment that can be used for cardio, weight, and resistance training. It’s completely customizable to your size, fitness level, and workout needs. The flat middle part of the device supports a weight plate, and resistance can be adjusted at three increasing levels. With magnetic resistance, the harder you push against it, the harder it pushes back. The bars on either end can be positioned differently to allow users to push and pull, targeting nearly all muscle groups. 

MINT Flex instructor Myke demonstrated three exercises you can try to incorporate the Sled into your workouts: 

Push and Pull

With the bars in an upright position and the resistance set at 2 or 3, place your hands on the upper handles. Leaning forward, begin pushing the Sled. You can do this as a walk or, with enough space, a run. The exercise can be reversed by walking backward and pulling the machine instead of pushing.

Row

Additional handles and harnesses can be clipped to the loop bar at the front of the machine. Using the tethered handles, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in a slight squat. Begin with your arms fully extended and your chest up. Root your feet, pull your shoulder blades back, and engage your muscles as you pull the Sled toward you until your arms reach approximately a 90-degree angle. Take a step back until your arms are fully extended again, and repeat. 

March

For this exercise, clip the waist harness to the front loop bar and secure it to yourself. With the weight and resistance set to your preference, walk forward until the band is taut. Then, simply begin marching forward, planting one foot while lifting the other knee. 

Do you like to mix up your workout routine with new exercises and equipment? Have you used the Sled yet? Let us know @MintGymStudio, and tag us in your sweaty selfies! 

5 Yoga Poses for a 5-Minute Break

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Working from home a lot these days? Do you find yourself moving far less and sitting still a lot more? Sometimes a small bit of movement can help us refresh in a big way. Even a short yoga practice can help reset your thinking and make the most of breaks in the middle of a sedentary workday. And one of the great things about working from home is that you’re most likely already in comfortable clothes that would be easier to stretch in. 

We met with our long-time yoga instructor Ferdaouis Bagga who shared five poses for you to enjoy in five minutes in between meetings. 

  • Easy Seat – Start in a comfortable seat on the floor, close your eyes, relax your shoulders, take 3 to 5 deep breaths, and gently circle your head around one way, then the other.
  • Seated Twist – Stretch your legs out in front of you; bend your right knee and cross your right leg over the left leg so that your foot rests on the floor, sit up tall, hug your knee in, and twist to the right; gently untwist and repeat on the other side.
  • Downward Dog with Movement – Plant your hands about shoulder-width apart on the floor and bring your feet hip-width apart, find an inverted-V shape with your body, pressing your chest back toward your legs; bend your right knee deeply while keeping the other leg straight, then alternate legs.
  • Chair Pose – Come up to standing, bend your knees, sit back in an imaginary chair, and reach your arms up.
  • Eagle Pose – From chair pose, wrap your right arm under your left arm, lift your right leg over your left leg, find balance for 3 breaths, unwind your arms and legs and take a standing backbend, then return to chair pose, take the opposite binds; move into another standing backbend or big standing stretch to end!

No need to work up a sweat for these either! Just pause for a few deep breaths in each pose and move slowly to transition to the next one. 

These poses can help release tension in your back, neck, and shoulders, and foster focus and attention to the breath. Feel free to be creative and modify! And if you feel like it, record yourself taking this five-minute mini yoga break and tag us on Instagram @MINTGymStudio to inspire others to get up and get moving!

How to Prepare for your first Power Playground Class!

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Never taken a Power Playground class but always wanted to try?
Intensity Director Roger Mack has some tips to make sure you’re prepared for your first class!

1) Do some Research before heading to a Power Playground Class so that you know what to expect. Understand what the class entails so that you have proper form to prevent against injuries.

2) Make sure you hydrate before class. You want to be hydrated enough to perform at your optimum best.

3) Fuel up before class! you want to eat something at least an hour before class. This will help avoid getting nauseous and gives you energy to power through the class. Avoid too much fat or fiber, which can upset your stomach while your’re working out.

4) Always introduce yourself to the instructor and let them know if you have any injuries or limitations before class starts.

5) Arrive 15 minutes early to class so that you are comfortable.

6) Listen to your body! Your trying something brand new so modify before trying to master a move or technique instantly.

7) Remember to Have FUN!

By: MINT Instructor Roger Mack

Deskercise: How to Exercise at Work

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We all know that sitting for too long isn’t good for your health. Insert the century of at work fitness. First, it was the ball-chairs that keep your core engaged during your 9-5. Then it was the stand-up desks. I’ve heard rumors of friends of friends who have co-workers using treadmill desks, but I have yet to see one. What does all this mean? We’re craving activity at work.

From dips to planks there are an array of activities that you can do during the workday. The key to incorporating exercise into your routine? Schedule them on your calendar and/or find a buddy to do them with you. My suggestion? Start with doing something twice a day, once before lunch and the other in the afternoon. Expert tip: don’t schedule them on the hour. That’s when meetings start. Have them 5 minutes before the hour instead.

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Becky and her co-workers give new meaning to the word “teamwork.”

My office does push-ups (click the link for proof!) when we’re sluggish after lunch. Someone will sense the low energy and promptly announce that it’s push-up time.  If you aren’t on the phone or otherwise engaged, you assume the position. Feet in your office, hands in the hallway and we count. We do them in sync, with lots of variation in form. When we started there were some who did them from a kneeled angle, and now, we even have some who have upgraded to clapping push-ups. Doing them regularly has allowed each person to demonstrate growth, no matter where we each started.

Whether you do wall-sits or seated leg raises, try adding something new to your deskercise routine. You’ll be surprised at how well office supplies double as dumbbells, or other exercise props, from paper weights to reams of paper you can find all sorts of things to pick and put back down as part of a weigh-inclusion routine. See how creative you can get!

Becky Walker is a MINT Ambassador and Jump-Roping Extraordinaire
Becky Walker is a MINT Ambassador and Jump-Roping Extraordinaire