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.

Whether you’re an undergrad headed to the dorm or just moving into your first place, you’re leaving the nest and need stuff.

For the college crowd, by now, you’ve not only had a few awkward Facebook conversations with your new roommate (look to see how many pictures he or she is tagged in that are added by others, not by themselves-that’s how you know they’re cool), but you’ve probably acquired your brand-new comforter and Twin-XL sheets and you’ve got your shower caddy and shower shoes safely packed away. You’ve spent the past few days tinkering with your new Macbook’s iSight camera and you think you’re prepared to face the great beyond of post-high school life.

Well, you’re not. You’ve almost certainly forgotten a few items that will make your college experience a whole lot better, but thankfully for you Blast Magazine has decided to help you out.

10. Organization

Depending on how cheap your university is, they may or may not provide desk drawers or a hutch/bookshelf. And as much as you think you won’t be studying, you’ll still need a place to store your unused hundred-dollar textbooks and to hide your solo cups and ping-pong balls from the wandering eyes of resident assistants. The best (and most flexible) option if you don’t want to actually buy any kind of quality shelving, is stackable cubes or bins-basically, you want them to be small enough to fit in the nooks-and-crannies of exposed space in your dorm room (on the window sill, under your bed, bottom of your closet, etc.) and you want to be able to configure them to fit your needs.

9. Water

In college, you need water for everything. Whether you’re trekking to class, making a cup of tea at 3am in the morning, or you’ve run out of soda on Saturday nights, water is essential. And frankly, it’s not only expensive but incredibly wasteful to burn through 24-packs of Poland Spring. Instead, buy a filtering pitcher like a Brita pitcher to keep in your fridge. It’s also important to have a plastic bottle on hand, both to carry water around and to bring to dining halls so that you can liberate juice and milk.

8. Fan

Even if your dorm room has air conditioning (unlikely), a small fan is essential. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never slept with white noise before, a fan is ideal in order to block out your roommate’s snoring (or to block your snoring for your roommate) and it is also important to keep some air circulation going in your tiny room. Dorm rooms are small, compact places and frankly, it’s in both your interests to have a little breeze here and there. Your best option is probably an oscillating tower fan.

7. Visitor accommodations

The thing about dorm life is that there are always people around. Once you make friends, there’s a good chance that someone besides yourself and your roommate will be hanging out with you. Where do they sit? Some people are uncomfortable either offering their beds or sitting on others’ beds, and so a chair of some kind is a definite plus. The coolest thing I’ve seen is actually a Yoga or Pilates ball that just rolls around your room“"not only are they really fun (and people fight over them!), but they offer a nice break from the monotony of sitting on your ass on a hard, uncomfortable chair (more on that later) and they’re really good for your posture.

6. Comfy clothes

The other thing about dorm life is that everyone sees everyone in their pajamas and ratty old field hockey shirts and so on and so forth. On wet days, you’ll come back to your dorm and get out of your soaked jeans as fast as possible and you’ll probably do your best not to leave your dorm room for the rest of the night. A good pair of sweatpants and a REALLY good pair of slippers are invaluable for times like these (especially if you actually go to your 8ams). You don’t want to walk around bare-footed because dorms are dirty places and no one wants to see your feet, anyway. Personally, I recommend L.L. Bean’s Wicked Good Moccasins (they have male and female versions) and your college bookstore will have a good selection of sweatpants.

5. Lap desk

I don’t care how studious you are, you won’t want to sit at your desk for hours and hours and hours on end. So you’ll move to your bed, bringing your laptop with you, and an hour later the fire alarm will go off thanks to your overheated computer bursting into flames. So a good-sized lap desk that holds your computer and a notebook or two is definitely a good investment.

4. Personal decorations

“But I already bought two awesome posters,” you say. But what you probably bought was yet another Klimt “The Kiss” or Dali”"Narcissus” that everybody and their mom already have tacked up on their wall. Go for something original; if you have a few unique posters on your wall your roommate and your dorm-mates might actually be interested in you. Don’t forget that the whole point of college (besides a degree and stuff) is to unashamedly be yourself. So if you’re an Apple fanboy, fly your true colors. If you’re a die-hard Bond fan, don’t be embarrassed of your Goldfinger movie poster reprint

3. A good backpack

You absolutely need a quality, comfortable back-pack. You might have a cool new shoulder bag or an adorable designer tote, but you’ll use it for one day and then realize that they make back-packs the way they do for a reason. You’ll need a bag big enough to hold your laptop (with sufficient padding for it, too), a notebook, a variety of extra pouches and so on for whatever you might need, and an easy way to carry your water bottle. If you sleep over someone’s room or take a weekend trip, a back-pack is honestly the best solution. Don’t hesitate to spend a significant amount on one, either, especially if it’s high-quality like a North Face or an L.L. Bean (which has a lifetime guarantee).

2. A nice set of speakers

Obviously it depends on your studying methods, but personally I have music on all the time. And laptop speakers just don’t cut it. Whether it’s a weekend night or you’re watching a movie with a friend or studying, a subwoofer makes all situations more fun. There are a lot of good options out there, but you can get a very nice set of two satellites + 1 subwoofer from Logitech for a decent price.

1. A comfortable office chair

I was lucky enough to get this advice before my freshman year and it was honestly one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. A proper rolling office chair lets you bring seating to others’ rooms easily, makes sitting on your ass for long, long hours much more comfortable, and is generally 12462343x better than the terrible hard, wooden chair that the college had mass-produced especially for you. Even though they might be expensive, a good chair is undoubtedly worth it. If you don’t believe me, just go to college and sit at your desk for a week. Then go buy a chair.

There you have it — my ten essential dorm room accessories. Now go forth and be educated.

(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