On July 20, 2019 the heat index in Harlem NYC hit a whopping 114 degrees. Maybe whopping is an understatement. It may be better to go with intolerable as I'm realizing why it's actually called the 'Lazy Days of Summer.' You barely want to do anything outdoors as the excessive heat seems to not just suck away your energy, but also your ambition. However, since life must continue and since you've been busy eating ice-cream indoors and over-packing those barbecue plates, this time of year may take a bit of aspirational and air-conditioned creativity to stay on your fitness game.
I've also found that mixing it up especially around this time of year is essential as your body wants to be out at the beach, but your sensibilities still want to maintain that beach body. Further, sometimes mixing it up doesn't just mean the routine, but rather the equipment involving a routine. With that on the brain, I must say I was immediately drawn to the MOTR® when I first saw it. For starters, I live in New York City where space is a time-honored commodity and then in this day and age, enough time to get everything done is a rarity. The MOTR® by Balanced Body lives up to its motto of 'Smart Fitness Made Simple' by being what I call the quintessential pilates roller unit. The MOTR is built with a 43" cylinder that features an arm attachment that holds two resistance-based pull cables that when engaged can allow its user to perform various categories of exercises depending on what specific bodily area they are trying to focus on. So there are a bevy of suggested exercises that focus on specific areas like upper & lower body and isolated legs & arms together with agendas of agility & balance all with a central emphasis on a basic focus of pilates fitness, the core.
It's interesting to note how the core, the center, is where the stability of mostly all the exercises offered by the MOTR radiates from. A stronger core enables you to lift better and maintain better balance which in turn leads to better form, more noticeable results and quicker post-workout recovery. This is precisely why the MOTR is such a great asset in your fitness journey. I discovered this firsthand when I set up to use my MOTR for the first time.
Having never done pilates or yoga, I was unfamiliar with the using of a roller in a fitness regimen. So when I first unpacked my unit, which was an easy-stepped breeze, (SEE MY VIDEO) I decided to christen it with a suggested exercise that worked both core and legs but also utilized every component of the MOTR. The 'Supine Feet In Straps' calls for the user to balance their back on the roller, place their feet in the handles of the cable pulls and use their arms to stabilize themselves. Your core abdominals, your legs and arms are all activated creating tone and with one or two clicks of the resistance buttons you can build muscle by making them work a bit harder by increasing the resistance. I immediately got a better sense of what the MOTR could do after one use and how its building on exercises that all center back to the core are essential to having better overall fitness motion and gains. The MOTR will help build my core while simultaneously supplementing the exercises I do with my regular weight routines.
In the coming weeks please check back with the site to see my on-going coverage of how I'll implement the MOTR into my existing fitness routine and create new routines with it. Shiny new essential toys, amazing body results and better fitness mobility all provide a fitting case to chase the lazy days of Summer away.
My new toy in my home gym
