Product Review: NURU Exercise Anywhere Cards
First, major thanks to Small Steps to Health for recommending me to NURU for a product review – much appreciated!
NURU Exercise Anywhere cards are a small deck inconspicuous enough to fit in the back pocket of your jeans (I’m talking skinny jeans, too – the kind where you have to lie down on the bed to wiggle you’re way in/out of them. This deck is tiny!). There’s just 30 cards total but they pack a wealth of information.
These cards are designed so that no matter your fitness level and no matter where you are – at the gym, at home, at work, on the bus – you can pull out the deck and quickly choose an exercise (maybe not the bus. Trying to do a triceps dip on a moving vehicle could have disaastrous results). The exercises are divided into two sections; strengthening the major muscle groups and “cardio lab”. The cards even suggest a sample workout routine for a week to give us a good idea of how these cards can be utilized on a daily basis, alongside a helpful example for how to maximize the effects by pushing to your limit with the number of reps and sets that you perform.
The exercises for the major muscle groups are divided into chest, upper and lower back, shoulders, biceps and triceps, and abs, and the lower body (glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves). The only equipment you need to perform these exercises is your own body weight, and perhaps a mat or piece of rug (because a hard floor isn’t so comfortable). Some of the exercises also make use of benches/chairs, towels (or resistance bands, if you’ve got them), or a tree branch/bar. Cans/filled water bottles, which you could replace with dumbbells, are also incorporated for some of the exercises. The cardio lab section is much shorter, with suggestions for interval training, jumping rope, walking, and squat thrust routines.
I love how these cards really present us with the no-excuses mentality of working out. When you’ve got this deck of cards in your pocket or purse, you can’t ignore the fact that it only takes a few minutes to do some reps of any exercise. Complete with step-by-step instructions and simple yet detailed illustrations accompanying each description, this deck also gives a brief overview of why we need to exercise all of these muscles. For science types, there’s a quickie explanation including the correct terminology for muscles with a diagram of the muscles in the body for each major muscle group.
Even though many of the exercises used in this deck of cards are straightforward (push ups, front shoulder raises, lunges and so on), they have a lot of good ideas for variations on each of these exercises. This deck will be perfect for traveling and I will also be using it if I need a fast strength training routine while at home. When I go away in May to visit my father dear in Cambodia (excitement!), these cards are going to be as close to me as my passport. While everyone else is typing on their laptops during stopovers in the airports between Winnipeg and Phnom Penh, I’ll be whipping out my new favorite deck of cards for a lying tricep extension or a decline push up 😉
Want to win a pack of cards for yourself? Head over to Healthy Living Today to enter Mark’s NURU Exercise Anywhere giveaway!
Fantastic review!
Thanks for the mention! 🙂
GREAT cards!!
This is such a great idea! I was thinking when I was reading this how perfect it would be for traveling. Ideally I like to run on vacations because it’s so portable, but it’s nice to add in other things, too. Thanks for the review!
I was skeptical, but your excellent review changed my mind! Being reminded, and keeping activity in our day is a great way to go.
With all those cheap buffets in Vegas, maybe this can become their new card game!
Thanks for the mention! I am glad that you were able to get a deck of your own.
it’s easy to forget how easy it is to add a little activity when you’re traveling 🙂
great review!
Those look great – I think I get them!
i really like my nurus- they are simple but get the job done
{purposefully not reading your post or comments since my cards are in the mail, and I don’t want to be influenced. 🙂 But I’ll be back to compare notes when I get a chance to look at them.}
What a great idea, how fun!
I was amazed how much I liked these too! they arent …too simplistic which I worried about before I saw them either.
These sound pretty cool!
cool product review! a little reminder never hurt anyone!
They sound wonderful! What a great idea!! I want some. 🙂
Cool, sounds like a convenient and no excuse way to get the exercise we all need. One question? Do the card come in video form for those too lazy to actually dip their hand in their pocket? Just kidding…
peace,
mike
livelife365
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