Pilates on a Moto, part two

Ismael and Pedro delivering, 8  framed photos

A few years ago, we designed an extensive exercise program that is now wildly popular in many countries: Pilates on a Moto.  

This is part two of the exercise program, focusing on more intense exercises and featuring a gradual increase in the degree of difficulty. 

All of the exercises in this program are designed to strengthen your core muscles: abdominal 6-pack, butt muscles, hamstrings, and calf muscles.  It is strongly recommended that you do each exercise for a minimum of fifteen minutes to ensure the very best results.

Balance and coordination

Exercise #1  Balance and Coordination

This exercise is designed for one person.  Begin by holding a long, heavy board in your left hand and get onto your motorcycle.  Then, start the moto with one hand. As soon as you have the motorcycle moving, balance the board on your lap in the vertical position while driving.  

If you do not have a heavy board available, an eight-foot step ladder is a satisfactory substitute. The key to the effectiveness of this exercise is to ensure the object is long and heavy.  This exercise is guaranteed to dramatically increase your balance and coordination. 

Strengthen Core Muscles

Exercise #2  Strengthen Core Muscles

This exercise is primarily for your passenger’s benefit.  It will increase the strength and flexibility of his or her core muscles. First, get on your moto. Next, have the passenger sit behind you.  

Then ask the passenger to pick up a large, heavy object, something awkward and weighing almost as much as the person.  Drive for fifteen minutes in traffic while your passenger clutches the object.  For the very best results, do this exercise twice with your rider holding the object first on the left side, and then on the right side of the moto. This is guaranteed to tighten your core muscles and a few other muscles too.

Total Family Workout

Exercise #3   Total Family Workout that Includes Your Pets

Are your lives too busy to find a few minutes of workout time with the family? Here’s the exercise for you. The only equipment required is one motorcycle and one helmet for each participating person. To perform this exercise, get on the moto, then have the smallest child stand in front of you, while other family members find a place to sit on the back.

A minimum of three people, plus one dog of any size, or a maximum of five people are required to get the greatest benefit from this exercise.  It will increase balance and muscle coordination, plus work on all the core muscles for everyone in the family, including Fido.  This one is a real winner!

Post-exercise cool down.

At the end of your workout, we advise a cooling-down period.  

The ideal way to cool down is to drive with a large fan balanced on one knee.  This will allow a two-fold benefit: air flowing around as you drive, and air directed at your face by the fan.  It’s very therapeutic.

We hope you enjoy your new Pilates on a Moto exercises.

                                             _______________________

This post was meant to be very tongue-in-cheek. We are in complete awe of our many island friends who are coordinated enough to carry the funniest array of large items their motos – with or without the help of a family member or friend.  It’s a talent that we just don’t have.

Lawrie and I can barely keep a moto upright, never mind adding extra people and cargo.  A nice, stable golf cart is our preferred method of transportation.

Hasta luego, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas

Grab your copy today!

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

Moto mania in Mexico: five on a motor scooter!

Using the moto to transport lumber

How do they make it look so simple?

We have a collection of snapshots, taken in haste, as various motorcycle drivers hurry past; photos of people clutching small children, demure women in dresses balanced side-saddle, or workers holding on to ladders, tools, buckets or large pieces of lumber.  

The photos are blurred by movement, slightly out of focus, but represent an interesting cross-section of islanders. 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, three rental companies on Isla Mujeres had a few machines available for tourists to buzz around on the mostly sand streets.  Gomar Rentals was the pioneer in rentals on the island, being joined later by Carabela and Honda.  

Riding side-saddle - no problem!

Every two years, the rental motorbikes would be replaced with new ones, allowing islanders to purchase the castoffs at a much reduced price.  

Until about seventeen or eighteen years ago, privately owned motorcycles, or motos as they are called in Mexico, were rare on Isla.   

A few ex-pats either brought their favourites from the USA or purchased a new motorbike in Cancun.  

The Honda Store

In those years, only the fortunate few who did not require a loan to purchase were able to own a new moto. Interest rates in Mexico can run from 25% to 75% for a loan or credit card, depending on the circumstances and the company.  

In about 1995, Honda made the decision to put a dealership store on the island, and to offer terms: little payments over a very long time, enabling many people to own their first motorcycle or scooter.  

For sale at Chedraui Super Store on Isla

An explosion occurred, and the streets were overrun by motos. Now, motorbikes are so common that they are sold in the local grocery store, Chedraui, as well as several other appliance stores.  

The Chedraui Super Store is currently offering twelve months interest-free and a free helmet if the purchaser qualifies for a Chedraui credit card: a mixed blessing in itself.

Common to see four or five on a motorbike

As the motos became more common, islanders invented new uses for these versatile machines. They became tireless workhorses, or tow trucks, or family vehicles.  

When we first moved to Isla seven years ago, we typically saw two or three people on each moto; now the norm seems to be four and occasionally five family members crammed on one bike.  

The law states a maximum of three people per motorbike, but for the most part, that is overlooked unless there is a campaign of enforcement in effect.   

Helping a friend with a push.

We are especially intrigued by the drivers who helpfully push a friend’s motorbike to the gas station, or the repair shop, or to their home for repairs.  The drivers will position the working moto slightly behind the non-functioning bike.  

The driver of the operating machine will then place a foot on the foot-peg of the other moto and off they go – cruising along, chatting, not a care in the world. It’s a feat of balance and coordination unlike anything I have ever seen. 

We are jealous! My motorcycle riding abilities consist of applying a painful death grip to the rib cage of the driver. I just don’t have the graceful confidence required to operate a motorcycle. And, Lawrie says he is too easily distracted to operate a moto. We are happier driving a car or a golf cart.

Hasta luego,

Lynda and Lawrie

Murder. Mayhem. Revenge. Romance.

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

Pilates on a moto: daily life in Mexico!

It's new!  It's easy!  And it's guaranteed to tighten up your core muscles (abdominal 6-pack, butt muscles, hamstrings, and calf muscles). Be the first in your group to try Pilates on a Moto. Our exercise program is available for kids, dogs, men and women.

Carry an 8-foot extension ladder on a moto

There are only two pieces of equipment required for this new and exciting exercise: a moto (either a scooter or motorbike will do) and a helmet. Below are a few suggested exercises:

1.  Carry-an-8-Foot-Extension-Ladder-on-my-Moto: Equipment required includes the moto, helmet, and an extension ladder. Hold the ladder with one arm, and get on the moto. The balance and coordination required to start the moto, and move forward while holding the ladder will give your body a good all-over workout.  Watch out for pedestrians and telephone poles while you are performing this exercise!

2. Carry-a-4-Foot-by-4-Foot-Mirror:  This exercise requires the participation of a second person. The driver mounts the moto, holding it steady while the friend gets on behind, holding a 4 x 4 mirror.  When the moto is moving, the wind resistance on the mirror will provide a great workout for the rider, and increase his heart rate as he cannot see anything. This exercise also works well with a 3-foot diameter plastic patio table, large boxes, or ventilation fans.  Use your imagination, try different items to get a full-body workout.

Push-a-friend-to-the-gas-station

3. Push-a-friend-to-the-gas-Station:  It takes a lot of coordination and balance to perform this exercise correctly, as one moto is stopped dead, out of fuel, and must be pushed slowly by the driver of the working moto -using only his right foot - to attain driving speed. 

The person on the non-functioning moto will achieve some degree of exercise, anticipating the movements of the driver who is pushing him.

4. Let-My-Dog-Drive-the-Moto: This exercise will require the participation of your canine friend, who must keep his or her front feet balanced at all times, on the handlebars of the moto. This is a very popular exercise amongst both the gringo and the local community. It gives your pet a complete body workout, as well as providing a bit of humorous distraction for other drivers.

Watch for our DVDs and companion illustrated book appearing soon on Amazon.com!

We are seriously in awe of the locals' ability to balance and drive. 

Cheers, Lynda and Lawrie

                        _______________________________________________

Aging Pets:

A few weeks ago, I asked my friend Dr. Delfino Guevara, our local veterinarian, what happens when one of our cats or dogs dies?  

Delfino popped by our house with a booklet on pet cremation. I knew it was available in Canada and the USA, but I never thought that it would be available here in Mexico. Delfino said the cremation service employees in Cancun will come over to the island and retrieve the animal, and then return the ashes to the island. The prices were definitely less expensive than in Canada. 

Grab your copy today!

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky