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If you’re looking at are an unusual exercise, try the royal wedding sprint. Follow the nearly 2km royal procession course commencing at Westminster Abbey and going past Parliament Square, the horse guards Parade and the magnificent St. James Park and terminating at the gates of Buckingham palace.

By following the route taken by Prince William and Kathryn Middleton on their way to the wedding and back to Buckingham palace after the wedding ceremony, you’ll get some great exercise in navigating the streets of London from West Minster Abbey back to Buckingham palace, while also seeing some great sights.

So for those of you who weren’t there for the actual wedding, you can re-create the procession in your own time while taking in some exercise as well.

A recent study in the International Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has shown a positive correlation between the number of times people shopped and their health. Men who shopped on a daily basis had a 28% greater probability of living longer while women’s probability increased by 23%.

The study suggests that men have better results due to the psychological benefits of increased interactions with other people and engagement with their community, which traditionally men are less likely to do. Social engagement leads to greater happiness, which plays a big part in longevity.

The study used data obtained from 1,841 elderly Taiwanese people taken between 1999-2000. To get a true perspective of the health benefits of shopping the data set included the frequency people shop as well as their physical, social and economic status and their cognitive functionality. As one would expect the younger people in the group shopped more often.
Many of the benefits derived from shopping come from getting around and being on the move. Given the size and geographic distribution of many retail outlets in the shopping centers, shoppers often have to travel greater distances to reach the desired shops.

Of course, shopping is not the only way to get these great benefits and you shouldn’t rely on this exclusively for your exercise.

An alternative solution to the documented benefits of companionship and exercise you get in a modern shopping center with all the artificial light, devoid of anything natural, is to go for walks outside of these environments. Although it’s great that shopping can provide the motivation to engage in some form of physical exercise it can also be expensive.

It is far better for your wallet if you get healthy by enjoying your local neighborhood. We live in a day and age where we have the most advanced apparel to manage every conceivable weather situation be it heavy rain, extreme heat or freezing temperatures. So there really isn’t any excuse for not getting outside and going for a gentle walk with your friends, family or neighbors – and not just to the shop!

Shopping has evolved into a leisure activity with the modern shopping center operators happy to encourage increased patronage with glitzy and surreal surroundings. While the old adage “retail therapy” can be a bit of tongue and cheek, one can argue that there are more health and psychological benefits that provide a cheaper option than the stimulus provided by these artificial environments.

Why not incorporate some exercise while traveling between destinations with this unusual exercise called suitcase backpacking.

Suitcases quite often get mighty close to or actually exceed the luggage allowance of 25kgs at the airport check-in, so carrying a fully laden suitcase on your back is quite an achievement. Even more challenging is getting the suitcase onto your back in the first place as this gentleman seems to be traveling solo.

Always remember when you are carrying any loads on your back to maintain neutral posture, that is keeping your hips underneath your shoulders and keeping your chest out. You’ll need to have a substantially stronger core to provide the necessary support to hold such a heavy weight otherwise all the weight will be transferred to you lower back or lumbar spine.

Always remember when you are carrying any loads on your back, use a harness that provides sufficient support and is ergonomically designed to accommodate your body’s geometry. Most modern day backpacks have numerous adjustment points to change where the harness is positioned on the back and the depth of the padding through the lumbar spine.

Most outdoor spittle specialty shops will be able to fit the backpack correctly using weighted bags to simulate the anticipated load to be carried.

One huge advantage of carrying a backpack as opposed to suitcase is the freedom it gives you when trying to negotiate staircases or in this instance sand which ultimately means having to carry a 25kg suitcase in your left or right arm.

If you’re looking to add an extra degree of difficulty to your suitcase backpacking workout try carrying an additional bag in her left and right hand for that extra challenge.

I got some unusual exercise on the weekend while we were camping in the Otway National Park, I was chased by a killer koala!.

IWe were observing a territorial issue among a group of koalas, and in order to get front row seats to the drama, I started to move to a better viewing spot just as one of the koala’s started coming down the tree. With limited time to get into the perfect position I decided to save some precious seconds by not buckling my sandals.

This was okay initially, as I was only planning on walking around the corner for the better vantage point. But, before I knew it, there was a scurry in the bushes and one big scary killer koala appeared in my midst.

Both the killer koala and myself were caught off guard, but once he/she composed itself and realised it might be under attack, it made a charge for me. This was a bit disconcerting as I was only about a metre away and had visions of its two inch black claws scratching my legs, or worse still, it trying to climb my body.

So I did what any hero would do in such circumstances – I ran for my life. However, in all the excitement I forgot that my sandals were only partially buckled, and after a mere five or ten metres I tripped and made a fast crashing descent, gouging my knees and wrist into the ground. My newly acquired Canon S95 digital compact camera was also damaged in the fall and I now have a $300 repair bill.

Well killer koala turned out to be not such a killer after all, it was frightened by all the noise and decided on a quick retreat back into the bushes.

So, these pictures cost me $300, but on a positive note I have an awesome story about an unusual type of exercise!

Very funny solution to road rage that offers more efficient and less violent way of addressing excessive stress and energy buildup amongst motorists.

As society gets busier and busier, roads get more and more congested and the stress levels of everyday living are exacerbated when driving a car. A meek mild mannered person can at a drop of the hat can become aggressive and hostile with the horn beeping and the arms waving in anger.

So at Fitstyler we have created a better way to channel that excessive energy while bringing a little bit of fun into the equation.

Just remember only a aim for the focus pads and not any other part of the body including the head.
While we are taking a lighthearted look at addressing the issue of road rage, this is a growing problem amongst our larger urban cities where people’s rage can quickly turn ugly.

A lot of road rage can be attributed to all the stress that builds up during the day and manifests itself while laying in a dormant state until an opportunity arises to release that excessive energy. It’s like a volcano that is ready to erupt that lays dormant for a period of time until mountain peak breaks with an explosive eruption before lava spews everywhere.

We run boxing sessions at our boot camps and are quite surprised when we ask a fitmate what they’re focusing on in our evening sessions to generate so much energy. It’s quite often work-related so while this can be viewed anecdotally, I think there is some substance behind It.