All the walking in the world does not, alas, burn off the binge-fests of food and drink that occur at year-end holidays. Anticipating this, I agree to a free trial lesson at a friend's gym, which she claims offers a workout that's fast, effective and comes served on a plate. How bad can that be? I decide to check it out.
Tucked just off a leafy road running through Nishi-Azabu's Hiroo Garden Hills complex is the Garden Hills Studio branch of Fitness Club Hiroo, where first-time visitors can get a free demonstration of their Power Plate machines, which look like souped-up Segways minus the wheels. Expert trainer and manager Masaaki Kamata, 38, tells me the "whole-body vibration" they induce makes a 30-minute workout as effective as two hours on conventional equipment.
I jump onboard and Kamata sets the jiggling machine to a low growl. The exercises that I'm instructed to do — planks, push-ups, squats, etc. — are familiar, but performing them on a Power Plate is like attempting ballet on the back of a rattling pick-up truck.