Creative home workouts for people who don’t like to work out

Keeping up with a workout routine isn’t easy for many of us. It’s hard work and honestly, it can get quite boring. Especially, when the routine gets redundant, it can be difficult to stay motivated when what we do isn’t enjoyable for us. But working out can be easy if it’s made fun. Try these creative home workouts for people who hate working out.

Virtual Reality

Turn any home-elliptical or cycling workouts into an immersive virtual reality exercise experience with a pair of VR headset and a Cadence sensor. Accessories that can now be synchronized to incorporate the motions done on exercise equipment while allowing the users’ visual and mental experience to enter virtual landscapes powered by VirZoom. With 10 million miles worth of Google Streetview addresses, simply enter an address and cruise through any location of your choosing. Exciting experiences, like cruising anywhere you wish, becomes a lot more motivational, especially during lockdowns.

Online Afrobeat classes

A growing trend of the dance style that combines dance, aerobics, and energetic African music, afrobeat is a great whole-body and cardio workout to boost your heart rate. It is a fun way to let loose and burn a ton of calories. Although only a handful of local studios offer this type of soulful and rhythmic dance classes, Anisha Thai, a choreographer whose dance videos went viral on Instagram, teaches the West African dance privately and online.

Creative home workouts for people who hate working out gafencu magazine video games — (image from Nintendo)

Real-time movement video Games

Believe it or not, video game industries have advanced in developing technology that integrates almost all aspects of human entertainment including motion tracking technology that allows gamers to play with the movement of their bodies. Offering a much more active experience not only for children but for adults to work up a sweat. Between the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch, there are several different games that provide an intense cardio session for homebodies to play out their wildest fantasies of being a Kpop dancer, ninja warrior, or even a professional athlete.

Pole dancing

No longer an exotic dance classified as risqué, pole dancing is a popular new way to tone the body, build up strength and pick up some sensual moves along the way. However, it requires core and upper body strength than simply swinging around, and it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It is a workout that is most definitely an exciting alternative to lifting weights or running. XPole is a one-stop online store for all things fitness pole and accessories.

What to do and see in Hong Kong this October

October is such a fun month, isn’t it? The weather is perfect (not too hot, not too cold) and there is a lot of festivity in the air. For Hong Kongers, not only is there the Mid-Autumn Festival at the beginning of the month, but also a horde of events throughout the month. Whether you are a music lover, a food aficionado or a sports freak, there’s something for everyone this October.

ABBA Tribute Show

Tribute group ABBA MANIA returns to Hong Kong, which means it’s time to break out the flared trousers and have the time of your life. Recreating the final 1979 concert of its sensational Swedish namesake, Abba Mania will take audiences on a vibrant journey through song and dance.

28-29 October
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
1, Gloucester Road, Wan Chai
HK$295-HK$695
lunchbox-productions.com

Marco Polo Bierfest

For its 25th consecutive year, Marco Polo Hong Kong brings gourmands the most authentic German beer and cuisine. With a view overlooking Victoria Harbour, guests can expect a range of traditional German weissbier and dunkel.
Expect things to take a turn for the sillier as the festival features performances from the Notenhobler Band – the official Marco Polo Bierfest band since 1994. Rumour has it that one of the staples in their musical repertoire is the Chicken Dance.

20 October-11 November
Viewing platform, Level 6, Marco Polo Hong Kong
Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
HK$120-HK$280
gbfhk.com

The Roots of Flamenco

The living tradition of Flamenco arrives in Hong Kong with a world tour featuring two of the art form’s biggest proponents, Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández.
Flamenco’s “Golden Couple”, whose performances New York Times critic Brian Seibert called “a furnace of earthy sensuality”, will stage a two-day show with accompaniment from world-renowned pianist Chano Dominguez.

11-12 October, 8pm
Lecture Hall, Sheung Wan
Civic Centre
HK$300-HK$580
rootsofflamenco.com

The Naked Magicians

Aussie comedy veterans The Naked Magicians return to Hong Kong this month with their critically acclaimed live show featuring full-frontal illusions and hilarious innuendo. The dashing duo performs an array of classic magic routines while stripping down to nothing but top hats and capes. Decidedly R-rated, the show guarantees plenty of laughs on your next group date.

25-27 October, 8pm
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
1, Gloucester Road,
Wan Chai
HK$395-HK$595
nakedmagicians.com

Verdi’s Aϊda

Celebrations commemorating the 20th anniversary of the HKSAR’s establishment continue this month with the arrival of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aϊda. Notable for its four-act structure and central place in the operatic canon, this production is the result of a new collaboration between the Shanghai Opera House and Opera Hong Kong.
China’s brightest contributors to the operatic arts are represented, with singers He Hui and Hao Jiang Tian among them. Aficionados of Verdi’s works can also expect an exciting accompaniment harnessing the talents of mainland China’s best orchestras, including the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.

10-15 October, 7:30pm
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
HK$150-HK$1,080
operahongkong.org

Tennis Open 2017

The atmosphere is thick with anticipation as some of the biggest names in professional women’s tennis prepare to return to Hong Kong for the 2017 WTA Tour. Seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams is joined by former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki, in addition to a host of other leading players from the Asia-Pacific region. Be sure to catch a few of the tournament’s first and qualifying rounds, as admission is free on a first-come first-served basis.

7-15 October
Victoria Park,
Causeway Bay
HK$160-HK$880
hktennisopen.hk

Plays, jazz, dance, ballet — What to watch at Hong Kong Arts Festival

Fans of the arts are in for a treat in the coming months with a slew of events coming to Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Arts Festival which runs until 18 March.

Launched in 1973, the festival showcases opera, theatre, music, dance and more by leading local and international artists.

During this year’s festival, over 1,700 artists from around the world will stage 180 performances, including 16 new works receiving world premieres and 14 Asian premieres.

With so many shows to choose from, picking which ones to see is a bit daunting, unless you have the time to see them all.

To help you decide, we have picked six standout shows to keep even the fussiest of theatre-goers happy.

All My Sons / Theatre

Directed by Michael Rudman, who directed the Tony award-winning play Death of a Salesman on Broadway, All My Sons is based on true events and revolves around love, guilt and greed.

Like Death of a Salesman, All My Sons was written by Arthur Miller and exposes the corruption of the American dream.

Set during World War II, the play is based around the actions of Joe Keller, a self-made businessman who knowingly supplied the US air force with defective engines, resulting in the deaths of a number of pilots.

The consequences of Joe’s actions come back to haunt him in later life.

Venue: Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Dates: March 3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11

Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project:Love and Soul/ Jazz

Do you like Jazz? How about love songs, R&B and soul classics? American drummer Terri Lyne Carrington heads a team of top jazz instrumentalists in a programme featuring all of the above.

Terri’s set features original compositions, along with homages to Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross, Bill Withers and more.

Terri has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell and Yellowjackets.

Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Dates: February 24,25

Emperor Wu of Han and His Jester Strategist/ Chinese Opera

With the tag line: “Behind every man of power is a man of wit”, Emperor Wu of Han and his Jester Strategist explores the relationship between Emperor Wu and the charismatic and quick-witted courtier Dongfang Shuo during the founding years of the Han dynasty.

The opera was written by Cantonese opera performer Loong Koon-tin, Lai Yiu-wai, and Chinese opera educator and actor Lau Shun.

Venue: Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

Dates: March 4, 5

Arch 8 – Tetris/ Dance

A family-friendly performance, Arch 8 Tetris is based on the popular video game of the same name.

This dance performance, however, swaps blocks with human bodies, with four dancers from the Netherlands stacking, flipping and defying gravity to interlock their bodies into shapes.

The dance performance is interactive and audience members are invited to join in.

Venue: HKJC Amphitheatre, HKAPA

Dates: March 10,11

A Floating Family/ Theatre

A Floating Family is a trilogy of plays featuring some of Hong Kong’s brightest stars. The plays are based around three pivotal moments in the lives of the Wongs.

A Floating Family portrays four siblings and their extended family over three dinners in the course of two decades. The plays follow the family as they deal with political, economic and social changes in Hong Kong.

Venue: Theatre HK, City Hall

Dates: February 24,25,26. March 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,11,15,16,17,18,19

Bayerisches Staatsballett (Bavarian State Ballet) La Bayadère/ Dance

The Bavarian State Ballet makes its ﬁrst full-company visit to Hong Kong with this dance performance in an imagined ancient India.

Spectacular sets and gorgeous costumes evoke an exotic world in which colour and beauty abound.

Also, La Bayadère contains one of the most famous scenes in ballet, ‘The Kingdom of the Shades’ — a procession of white-costumed ballerinas dancing across a moonlit stage.

Venue: Grand Theatre, HK Cultural Centre

Dates: February 17,18,19

For more information on Hong Kong Arts Festival, visit: www.hongkongartsfestival.org

All photos from www.hongkongartsfestival.org

Written by Andrew Scott

Tango in the Night

The recent Asia International Dance Championships, organised by DansinnHeavenly, one of Hong Kong’s leading dance studios, saw more than 800 keen professional dancers showcasing their skills at the HKCEC.