Weightless Exercise Without Space Travel
As we grow older many body parts tend to well… sag. And the health and beauty industry have made fortunes with products that claim to reverse this process – at least temporarily. From $45 or more for the latest facial in a bottle to expensive spa treatments only afforded by the Hollywood elite, to tummy tucks and breast enhancements, there seems no end to the ways you can spend your money on treatments of dubious value.
Since most of this sag is directly related to the effects of gravity, one might think jumping on the next space flight might be just the ticket. After all, there’s no gravity in space, right? But, you’d be wrong…
Weightlessness Causes Similar Problems To Aging
You see life on earth evolved in the presence of gravity, and NASA has discovered many problems result in the human body in the weightlessness of space travel. And all of these problems are also present in aging.
- Cardiovascular deconditioning
- Balance disorders
- Weakening bones and muscles
- Disturbed sleep
- Depressed immune response
To top it off, Science Daily reports on a study done at Georgetown University Medical Center that indicates space radiation may cause prolonged cellular damage to astronauts. Beyond that, this damage could result in premature aging and an increased risk of colon cancer.
Now that your hopes of buying a house in space and living forever are crushed, what can you do?
Does Exercise Work?
There’s little doubt exercise can be of value, but it’s not easy. My wife who is on the downhill slide of her 40s complains the sags are persistent. This despite doing Pilates, weight workouts, and jogging 3 times a week for over a year.
So whats one to do?
Combining Weightlessness and Yoga: AntiGravity Yoga
I don’t know if it’s possible to do yoga in space, but Christopher Harrison has created AntiGravity Yoga. AntiGravity Yoga is a fitness regime designed to increase one’s overall health and physical agility while having fun and creating beauty. The benefits listed on their website include:
- Decompress tight joints, relieving pressure while aligning the vertebrae of the spine without strain
- Perform advanced yoga inversions without neck or back compression
- Hold challenging yoga postures longer and in correct alignment
- Stretch further with less strain
- Create better body awareness while increasing overall agility
AntiGravity Yoga is done with using the AntiGravity Hammock, which acts as a soft trapeze, supporting you as you master simple suspension techniques leading to advanced inverted poses. But unfortunately, just like space travel, it’s not available to everyone.
AntiGravity Yoga movement called “Wings” is started by and remains exclusive to Crunch Gyms. But currently AntiGravity Yoga classes are only available in LA, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, & New York City. If you live near one of these, you can get more information by visiting the AntiGravity Yoga website.
At this time it appears they have no “home version” of the antigravity yoga. But we’ll keep an eye out for home versions of antigravity yoga. And let you know about it.