Give It a Try

I love trying new things when it comes to fitness, as long as they make sense (squats on the Bosu ball? No thanks).

I'd wanted to try an Indo Board since I first saw one in a surf shop a while back. It's basically a board that balances on a roller. You stand on it and see if you can slide back and forth, squat and so forth. It works pretty much everything, especially your core.

So when I spotted one at my gym, I had to try it. I damn near busted my ass. But with a little advice from someone who knew how to use it (start on a surface like the mat where people stretch because the roller moves slower), I picked it up.

How is it? Fun, and it certainly does what it claims to do.

The Cure for an Aching Back

On one of my better days of surfing a few years back, I left the water barely able to bend over to take my leash off my ankle. Yep, my low back was killing me.

So many of us have had similar experiences, if not from surfing then from some other sports activity or even from simply moving the wrong way. While I've had a couple of other scares, my overall back health is much better because I've spent a lot more time strengthening my core and watching my form.

The New York Times' sports magazine Play makes the point that core strength, flexibility and cross training are crucial to low-back health. It even has three good exercises that'll help you rid yourself of back troubles.