Exercising at Home - Surf the Firm Wave

If you lead a busy, active, life - as I'm sure you do - exercising at home is often the only practical way. After all, what's the point of paying fees to an expensive and plush gym if you can never make the time to get there? They may have the latest equipment, the swankiest changing rooms and the hunkiest instructors this side of the Mississippi, but that's no use to you when you are trying to juggle home, work and kids.

All that will happen is that you will lose no weight and feel guilty for paying out the fees every month without getting any benefits. Guilt leads to comfort eating, which contributes to further weight gain, which causes stress and, ultimately, health problems. You are in a worse state than when you joined the club!

One answer is to exercise at home. Comfort, privacy and no monthly fees - apart from the mortgage, which you'd have to pay anyway. And if you go for a compact exerciser like The Firm Wave, you don't need to turn a whole room into a gym, as a small space will be perfect, and the Wave can be stored away when you've finished.

What's a Wave?

Nothing to do with the ocean or a surfboard, the Firm Wave is made of strong polymer and shaped like a hump bridge. It is extremely versatile; place it on the floor with the curve side down and it rocks when you stand on it and push your feet from side to side in a see-saw movement. This is fun! "Surfing" the Wave raises your heart rate and gives you the cardio part of your workout - and burns calories. And because you have to balance, your core and ab muscles have to work, which tones and flattens the dreaded "pooch". At first, you will find you get out of breath surprisingly quickly, but you will soon adapt - I suggest you start with 5 -10 minutes. Put on some good rock music and away you go. My current favorite for this is The Proclaimers "500 Miles" and I try to bellow along with it. I am breathless by the end of the track and the dog thinks I'm crazy!

But that's not all the Wave can do. Turn it over, curve side up, and it has a mat surface and is stable. You can now do Step-up exercises for cardio and leg-shaping. The Wave also has attachments for elastic exercise bands - now you can do the resistance part of your workout for toned, shapely arms and legs. And remember - the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns all day long.

And we're still not done! Curved-side up, the Wave is also perfect for doing Pilates mat exercises on. Lie over the Wave and you work your abs, sides and back, to get that toned torso that we all dream about.

Carol J Bartram is a qualified Personal Trainer, Pilates Instructor and Sports Therapist. She has reviewed many pieces of home exercise equipment and has the following to say about the Wave.

The Firm Wave comes with a set of inspirational DVDs to show you what to do and keep you motivated, and the whole package costs less than $100 (plus p&p), making it superb value for money. I can't think of one other single piece of kit that will let you do a full-body workout in such a small space and at such a good price - Buy The Firm Wave Exercise Equipment it's all you need to banish those bulges!