Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 8 - 14, 2022 UCW 27 When we think of exercising, images of dumbbells or exercise machines may come to mind. is is not the only type of equipment used for muscle toning and fitness training. ere are a variety of resistance bands and versa tubing at all levels of strength resis- tance to obtain benefits. A prime example of an athlete that uses resistance bands is Tom Brady. It is reported that he gave up weights years ago in favor of resistance bands for training. When he started strug- gling with injuries, he decided to forgo the traditional training methods and worked with his trainer to develop a resistance band training program. He must have the right approach to train- ing because he continues to dominate on the football field. Resistance bands conform to your body's natural movement and allow people of all ages and fitness levels to obtain a full low-impact workout. ey enable the user to get a workout with- out overstraining muscles, irritating joints and are great for helping to keep good form. e major difference between bands and weights is that they allow you to work at a resistance level that is beneficial to your muscle groups and can target isolated muscles. If you attend my classes, you will often see me carrying bands, balls and gliders. I use them in various ways to help with strength, balance and flexibility. Let's look at some of my favorites and what they do. Versa Tubes are a long stretch band with a handle, and they come in a range of colors related to strength. ey are a versatile band in a full range of workout options, from bicep curls to squats targeting all muscle groups. You can work muscle groups in various directions, seated in a chair, standing, wrapped around a barre or during floor work. e intensity is up to the participant by selecting a color or increasing ten- sion by shortening the band. ey can also be used with balance exercises and multiplanar movements. Versa Loops are a band that looks much like a large rubber band. ey come in a variety of colors, indicating their strength levels. e band fits comfortably around the upper and lower legs, mid-thigh or mid-calf. ey are used in shorter movements and target the glutes, calves, thighs and core. A Bender Ball, created by Leslee Bender, is about nine inches in diameter and can sup- port weight up to 300 pounds. e ball aids in a greater range of motion and provides an effec- tive abdominal workout. Placing the ball behind the small of the back helps eliminate excess strain during abdominal work. e ball can be used for bal- ance, strength training exer- cises, functional workouts and rehabilitation movements. Gliders are discs that look like a Frisbee and come in materials that can be used on carpet or hardwood. ey are used in bal- ance, strength and flexibility training. e disc's fluid movement assists in a greater range of motion for various lunges. ey are an excellent tool in making planks and burpees more challenging and used for increased cardio in high-intensity interval train- ing classes and circuit training. All the items above are easily used in the home, gym or on vacation, take up minimal space, and are easy to use, with an average cost of about $15 per item. How-to videos can be found on the internet, seated or standing for many levels. Live and love life with a gym in the bag. FITNESS CYNTHIA ROSS, Personal Trainer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. Gym in a bag: Versatile items can replace machines, weights by CYNTHIA ROSS Photo courtesy of Pexels Trying times can remind us we were made for more by DAN DEBRULER What's the worst thing you can imagine ever happening? All you know and hold dear swept away in a flood or reduced to ashes in a fire? e loss of a child or sibling? Channel that emotion for a moment as you read or hear the news of a cata- strophic event in the life of someone in a distant city. Or the next town over. Maybe even someone you know and work with. We're not even halfway through the year 2022, and we've already seen and heard so many painful stories of death, loss and destruction it's become difficult to remember them all — the wave never seems to subside. Even locally, we've seen violence erupt as one man has the audacity to use a gun to kill another man in midday traffic at one of the busiest intersections in town. We struggle uncomfortably with how to provide aid to one nation invaded by another while the next state over is reeling from a series of tornadoes. en our attention is drawn to the devasting loss of life in a shooting in a suburban school. We search for something to pin the blame on; Second Amendment advocates scream, "arm the teachers," while the teachers say, "more police." e police point to mental health, while the psychology community is helpless in admitting they can only treat those who come. All the while, our communities and their governments standoff over whether life begins inside or outside the womb. We want answers. We want some- thing better for ourselves and those who come after us. One problem is that, in all the tur- moil, we have lost sight of the ques- tion: "Who Am I?" In the first verses of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God steps out into the vast nothingness that existed. With his big, booming God- voice, he said, "Let there be light!" and there was. en the earth, water, land, animals of every kind, and finally, his crowning creation: man. Conferring with his ethereal partners, they chose to make man — male and female — in their image. Beings that work together to create, think, reason and love. And somewhere along the way to today, we have all but completely lost sight of that. We have forgotten who we are. We have forgotten whose we are. We have devised ways to destroy, manipulate, control and even to wear our hatred for others, the God who created us, as if it were a crown of our own glory. And as we look for answers to the evil and deconstruction of all we know to be good and right, let's look at who we are. Or at least who we were made to be and how we were designed. We know the symptoms all too well. Now it's time to open the manufac- turer's manual, see how we were de- signed to function, and begin restor- ing ourselves to our original condition. We were made for more. FAITH DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. Photo courtesy of Pexels