Relive your childhood with the latest fitness concept to land in Hong Kong courtesy of founder Lucia Tam: re-bounding. Located on the 13th floor of The Pemberton in Sheung Wan, Tam’s anti-gravity cardio workouts leave clients beaming and on an endorphin high.
“I had an ankle injury from teaching a class and it was quite severe. My physiotherapist spent four months on me to get a strong comeback. She put me on this tiny trampoline and told me that this will help
me regain muscle strength and at the same time will help me balance and heal faster,” says Tam. Curiosity led Tam to discover that “rebounding” is used by NASA to help astronauts regain their muscle and bone mass upon returning from space and as well as being a great alternative cardio workout, it also helps improve digestion, boosts lymphatic drainage and is considered by some to be twice as effective as running without the extra stress on ankles and knees. Her interest piqued, Tam got certified in Rebounding in the US and launched BounceLimit in Hong Kong late last year.
We are made to move, but in today’s society, with our work and environment, we just aren’t as active anymore. All these small injuries, like frozen shoulder and golfer’s elbow, can be prevented if we just put in some time during the week to give our bodies attention. Prioritise your body and mind. You deserve it!
CrossFit continues to be a buzzword in fitness circles and has grown in Hong Kong over the past year through word of mouth to become a fitness movement that has inspired people of all backgrounds to get involved. But what is it? CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program used by many police academies, military special operations units and tactical operations teams for training.
It may sound intense but according to Tracy Shek, a coach at CrossFit 852, one of Hong Kong’s largest CrossFit studios: “The thing that makes CrossFit so unique is that all the movements are scalable, and thus its intensity is relative. This means that in any given class
you may be working out among people of all different fitness levels. This morning I taught a class that included a grandmother who was there to keep active and stay mobile, and an Olympian rower who was training for his next competition. They both did the same workout, but the weights and movements were adjusted to their personal skill level.”
Shek admits that she was never the sporty type growing up and it wasn’t until she discovered CrossFit – after working six years in finance and studying for a law degree – that she recognised the importance of health and fitness.
Not only did I love how challenging the program was, but what was truly amazing was how quickly I saw results. Soon after I started, my clothes just felt looser, my body tighter, and I had grown stronger than I could have ever imagined. In just a few short years, I’ve gone from a novice who couldn’t even do a single push-up, to recently competing at the CrossFit Games Regionals in Sydney, alongside some of the world’s fittest athletes.
As a successful private banker constantly on the go and a devoted mother of three, Belinda Koo’s life is never short of hectic. It was through exercise – particularly cardio exercise – where she discovered a renewed balance in her life. “In 2005, I realised that I was in critical danger of cardiovascular disease. I collapsed at work with crushing chest pain. I had been taking on too much at work and at home and I had lost sight of the fact that I needed to focus on my own wellness first to be at the top of my game for my career and my family,” says Koo.
“I started taking care of myself with diet and exercise, but I was never able to find a cardio workout that clicked with me. Everything I encountered at the gym was so militaristic, including the spinning classes that they offered,” added Koo. This was what inspired Koo to open XYZ – a spinning studio unlike any other: “When we first opened our doors, my mission was to give Hong Kong a style of spin instruction that was fun – and that focused not only on physical cardiovascular health but also on mental and spiritual health. The focus is on the rhythm of the music, finding the beat, and allowing that beat to drive our legs and our breathing throughout the ride.”
Fitness is beauty. When you are fully functioning, from your organs and breathing system, to heart, muscles and bones, you are happy and radiate health and confidence. That, for me is fitness, beauty and life.