It might feel nice to kick up your feet and unwind by watching TV after work or to relax by the pool all day, but a sedentary lifestyle can be just as bad for your health as smoking, according to recent research.

Dr. David Coven, a cardiologist at New York’s St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, told CBS.com San Francisco earlier this month that “Smoking certainly is a major cardiovascular risk factor and sitting can be equivalent in many cases.” Coven added that according to several new studies, a sedentary lifestyle is linked to the increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and premature death.

According to exercise science expert Steven Blair, as quoted in Science Daily, as many as 50 million Americans live a sedentary lifestyle. Not surprisingly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight and a third are obese.

Callie Durbrow, a personal trainer at Durbrow Performance Training in Cambridge, Mass., says, “It’s all an unfortunate chain of events: sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, which, in turn, is a well known factor in heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.” She adds that not getting enough exercise is a “recipe for disaster.”

So what can you do to get active if your day revolves around sitting at a desk at work and sitting in the car during your commute? Sneak “mini-workouts” in, says Durbrow. Durbrow recommends getting at least 30 minutes of “moderately intensive” physical activity five days a week.

“Finding time to exercise–maybe before or after work or during the lunch hour–can literally be a real life saver,” she says.

Here’s what you can do:

Take the stairs, and make this mini-workout session even more effective by running up and down instead of walking. “If you do it several times a day, every day, it’ll add up,” says Durbrow.

Get out and walk briskly, enough to get your heart rate up, instead of driving short distances.

Try to use your free time for exercise instead of watching TV or surfing the Web. “If you finally have a bit of free time, use it for some form of physical activity, not to sit around some more,” she says.

With bikini season so close, it’s once again time to agonize over finding the perfect workout routine for a beach-ready body. One of the latest trends to start popping up across the nation is hula hooping, also known as just “hooping” or “hoopdance” to distinguish it from the child’s toy we all know and love. Hooping is, according to Hooping.org, a full mind-body exercise for all ages that helps relieve stress, can burn 200 to 500 calories an hour and boosts cardiovascular endurance, just for starters. Hooping is also said to improve coordination and balance, build muscle, tone your body all over and build confidence.

Many Americans remember hula hoops as a beloved toy from their childhoods. The craze swept the nation in the 1950s when Wham-O released their popular version, but the art of hooping has been recorded as far back as 500 B.C. Rolling hoops made of willow, rattan, grapevines or stiff grasses with sticks became a popular form of play and exercise for Ancient Greek and Egyptian children. Hoops popped up again in 14th century Great Britain, and medical records from the era show doctors treating dislocated backs and heart attacks that were attributed to hooping, says Hulahooping.com.

LED hula hoops bring flair to a childhood favorite. (Media Credit/madmarv00 via Flickr)

Fast forward several hundred years, and keeping with the idea that history repeats itself, hula hooping is back again. The jam band “String Cheese Incident” has been credited with the resurging interest, tossing hoops into the crowds at music festivals. In a 2005 interview with NPR, band member Michael Kang said, “We had it worked out that during our set, our buddy Austin would throw these hoops out into the crowd. And the next thing you know when we’re playing, there’s like 70 people Hula-Hooping all over the place and it kind of just caught on and took off after that.”

Even celebrities are getting in on the trend. First lady Michelle Obama was seen hula hooping on the White House lawn when she hosted a Healthy Kids Fair in the fall of 2009 to promote childhood obesity prevention.  One of the biggest advocates has been Marisa Tomei. She revealed in a 2010 interview with The New York Times that she used hooping to get in shape for her nude scenes in 2008’s “The Wrestler,” and she now has her own hooping kit and workout DVD available for purchase through Amazon.

Blast spoke with local hooping instructor Lindsey Hollett, also known as Siren of the Circle, to learn more about the trend. She’s been hooping since 2009, after seeing another hooper at a music festival, and has been hooked ever since. Lindsey loves hooping for “a jillion reasons. There’s always something new to learn. There’s no perfection–just progress.” For example, she says, when you think you know a trick, you can try it with the opposite hand, try it spinning in the opposite direction, or, in Hollett’s case, try adding fire. “I’m taking a fire safety course first, though,” she says. Teaching hooping is also a joy for her. Aside from just meeting new people, her favorite part is “the look people get when they finally land a new trick. Their eyes light up in this ‘a-ha’ moment and that’s very fulfilling for me.” Lindsey teaches courses for all skill levels, most recently at Salem State University, Lynn Arts and JMK Pole Fitness Studio in Providence, R.I.  She also makes her own custom hoops that students can purchase.

One of those students is Katie Hallett, a 25-year-old from Lynn, Mass., who has been hooping for several months. She got into hooping much the same way as Hollett, after seeing hoopers at, of course, a music festival. Katie also emphasizes that there is always something new to learn, and recently got an LED hula hoop to use at night, creating dazzling after-images on the eye.  “It’s a lot of fun, and I’ve definitely seen the health benefits; I’ve lost some weight and strengthened muscles I didn’t even know I had,” she said.

If you can’t find a class near you, there are plenty of free YouTube tutorials. For the cost of your hoop, you can entertain yourself (and friends!) for hours, and spend more time outdoors instead of on a treadmill inside. As the Siren of the Circle would say, “Happy Hooping!”

Exercise is one of the top preventative actions one can take to decrease chances of developing breast cancer. Commonwealth Sports Club (1079 Commonwealth Ave.) couldn’t think of a better way to get involved than to hold our own Zumba and Spinathon to raise money for breast cancer research.

Instructors are donating their time to hold a 3 hour spinathon and a 2 hour zumbathon, with a suggested donation of $5 per hour per participant for charity.

Zumba is a high energy, latin dance class that can easily be adapted for people with a limited range of motion, and spinning burns the most calories of all our group fitness classes, at an average of 500 calories per class.

Commonwealth Sports Club is also holding a raffle to help raise money for the cause. The staff at CSC and Joint Ventures Physical Therapy have donated their time to offer raffle prizes such as an acupuncture session, personal training packages, pilates packages, and massages. Other prizes include CSC gear, $25 Visa Gift Cards, and a $100 gift certificate to The Kells Bar and Grill, Blast’s perennial party spot, donated by restaurant owner and sports club member Jerry Quinn.

There will also be inspirational artwork sold with part of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

Be there from 6-9 p.m. tonight, and make your workout for a good cause.

BROOKLINE, Mass. — On a snowy December afternoon, I found myself lying on my back, my legs suspended in midair by stirrups and pulleys on a contraption that looked at first glance like a medieval torture instrument, bending and extending my knees in a pattern that vaguely resembled pumping on a swing set.

And it counted as exercise.

The Movement Center of Boston offers instruction in this school of fitness, which is called gyrotonic. A collection of intricate wooden machines, called the pulley tower combination, unit-guide the body in a controlled series of movements tailored to a person’s individual needs and goals. The motions are familiar, lifting and lowering the legs or circling them like pedaling a bicycle. But the reasoning behind the motions was different. Where traditional training would focus on lifting as much weight as possible, the instructor, Lisa Pari, uses just enough resistance to balance legs in midair and isolate the muscles around joints.

According to fitness experts, that’s what New Year’s Resolutions are all about in 2009: switching it up and taking that tired fitness plan in a new direction.

Gyrotonic, originally invented by Juliu Horvath as a form of rehabilitation for injured dancers, has expanded to reach customers from elite athletes to 80 year olds who can’t swivel their spines to people who “just come because of the sense of wellbeing they get from the system,” said Pari. Its sister method, gyrokinesis, is performed on a mat and necessitates more strength and flexibility.

Movement Center owner and master trainer Kathy Van Patten said it took a couple of lessons for her to realize she needed to continue her gyrotonic practice. After studying under the system’s founder for years, she’s a true believer in its benefits, which are similar to those of swimming, tai chi, dance, yoga, and gymnastics.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds, and it’s just a matter of time before it overtakes Pilates and yoga,” she said.

Whatever route people decide to take, a new exercise prescription seems to be the ticket to making lasting body transformations in 2009. And Mike Walsh, a certified personal trainer and manager of BodyScapes Fitness in Brookline, Mass., actually considers these frigid New England winters the perfect opportunity for Bostonians to make changes in their fitness programs.

“Use it as a chance to break away from your mode and to become a more well-rounded athlete,” he said. “Use these three months that are tougher weather to do something else.”

That might include trying yoga, he said, for people who usually run or bike outside. Or, for those who have never tried getting fitness instruction, the first of the year might be a good time to give a class or personal training a shot.

(ARA) — New Year’s resolution time is here. Many of us focus on the new diet or exercise regimen that we promise ourselves we’ll stick to … until the first business trip or unexpected family crisis throws our routine out the window. This year, instead of trying to fulfill an unrealistic New Years declaration, resolve to refresh your active lifestyle on your terms, doing activities that are fun and fit into your already busy schedule.

Lack of time is the biggest challenge to achieving fitness goals, according to a recent poll by IDEA, the world’s leading organization of health and fitness professionals. The organization recently polled more than 1,500 of its members to identify the top challenges that keep us from sticking to our fitness resolutions, as well as what is on the fitness horizon for 2008. More than 60 percent of those polled cited a lack of time.

“Exercise is fun when you find a fitness routine that you enjoy and fits into your lifestyle,” says Jake Steinfeld of CEO Body by Jake and Founder of ExerciseTV. “Burning calories, feeling great and looking great on your terms — now that sounds like a plan!”

Consider one of the following to refresh your active lifestyle in 2008; who knows, you just might have fun in the process:

Downward Dog — Relieve stress and burn some calories through yoga or Pilates. Classes are usually smaller than group fitness classes and are a great option for people looking to ease back into a wellness routine. According to the survey, fitness experts predict these activities will see the most growth in 2008. Calories burned in yoga or Pilates exercises: 230-250 calories per hour.

Drop and Give Me 20! — Already a popular group activity, fitness boot camps are expected to continue to grow in popularity. These classes offer nontraditional, in-your-face fitness instruction, hold participants accountable for proper nutrition and deliver noticeable results in as little as 30 days. If you enjoy being outdoors, this could be just the activity for you. Calories burned: 300 per hour or more.

Bring Sexy Back — Dance continues its resurgence as a way to burn some calories in 2008. Fitness professionals surveyed are talking about Zumba, a fusion of Latin and international music combined with unique moves that is based on the principle that a workout should be fun and easy. If you’re looking to unleash the exotic "diva" in you, consider signing up for a fitness pole dancing class. These classes not only get you in shape, but also are known to be great self-esteem boosters. Calories burned: 280-400 per hour, depending upon your "boogie level."

Get Personal — While it’s definitely an obvious recommendation (82 percent of the fitness professionals surveyed recommended), engaging a personal trainer might be worth another look. Personal training provides a one-on-one, customized experience tailored to your individual fitness abilities and goals in a manner that is convenient for you. So, if you hate to use weights, a trainer can develop a program using resistance bands to achieve the same goals. Smaller, more personal facilities are springing up around the U.S., and many personal trainers are willing to come to you — whether at work over the lunch hour, to your home on weekends or to the local neighborhood park. Calories burned: varies with exercise.

More, More More — There are many ways to burn a few extra calories staring us in the face everyday, all that’s needed is to take advantage of the opportunities. Some of the most popular activities to stay active away from the gym that are recommended by fitness professionals to their clients include:

• Taking the stairs — Resolve to walk up three flights or less instead of taking the elevator. Calories burned: 10 per flight.
• Walking at lunch — Commit to a quick 20-minute power walk three days a week. Calories burned: 80 calories per walk.
• Playing with your kids — A quick game of tag can elevate the heart rate and just may sharpen your reflexes. Calories burned: 115 per hour.
• Gardening — Putting a bit more "elbow grease" into pulling weeds and planting flowers may have extra benefits in the long run. Calories burned: 230 per hour.

So take some simple, positive steps toward a health lifestyle, like eating right and pursuing fun exercise. Remember, weight loss requires a reduced calories diet and regular exercise. Make a New Year’s commitment to a fitter you.

Courtesy of ARAcontent