Cover Story

Fitness Made Fun

Posted

Everyone has their tried-and-true workouts, but it’s still early enough in the year to resolve to try something new. From hot yoga and spin classes to booty-building barre and boxing, here are 18 energetic classes to shake up your routine.

1. Barre + Pilates
Smart, sexy, with all the right moves. I’m not talking about JLo, but rather the genius combination of Barre and Pilates that gives us the fun and unique workout Barrelates. Bridge to Fitness’ signature class integrates the precision of Pilates, the full-body movement of dance, and the benefits of functional movement all into one challenging program designed to tone, tighten, and keep you on your toes. Middletown

2. Build That Booty
If you’ve spent more than 0.7 seconds on Instagram, you know that booties are making a comeback. Instead of trying to make them disappear, we are now giving them the spotlight. Work on that backside at Aull Pilates and Movement Studio in Booty Barre – an energetic, fun workout that fuses dance, Pilates, and yoga to tone and sculpt your entire body with a combo of strength and flexibility training and cardio. Middletown 

3. Absolute Power
Power Hour takes on a whole new meaning when shots of beer aren’t involved. Powerr Fitness’s 60-minute session will leave you with a clear head and a calorie burn instead of the complete opposite. Powerr Hour incorporates multiple functional movements with light to moderate weight training for a full-body workout that gets your heart pumping and mind singing, minus the foamy head. Warren

4. It’s All in the Hips
Being a grown-up is overrated. We have things like bills, endless trips to the market, and entirely too many responsibilities. What we don’t have enough of are hula hoops. Until now. Check out cardioglow’s Hoop There It Is class – a joyful, 55-minute multilevel high and low intensity interval class with segments of toning, dance cardio, and – you guessed it – hula hooping. Work those abs with laughter, some shimmying, and an eternal homage to your childhood. Barrington

5. Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Burn
You may already dance to the beat of your own drum, but take it one step further and literally dance to the beat of your own (air)drum in La Vida! Dance & Fitness’s Pound class. Using lightly weighted drumsticks, jam out in this full-body cardio, conditioning, and strength-training session by letting loose, becoming one with the rhythm and volume, and pounding away with 15,000 reps performed over 30 extended interval peaks in more than 70 techniques. Bristol

6. Gotta Have That Funk
Bruno Mars may lead the funk uptown, but 426 Fitness keeps it local with their Fit N’ Funky class. A high-energy, low-impact workout, which combines bars and light weights with brisk dance movements, places an emphasis on muscle sculpting while burning fat and listening to beats to get your groove on. Warren



7. Pilates to the Core
You may spend time in an office with a trickling waterfall and a soft couch to work through your control issues, but you can walk into a Pilates studio and onto a mat, tower reformer, Pilates chair, or jump board and take charge without consequence. studio47 Pilates’ Reformer Pilates classes will tone muscle without bulk, strengthen your core, increase flexibility, improve posture, and unite your body and mind. Warren

8. En Garde!
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the sword will give you a hell of a workout. Take a swing at fencing with RI Fencing’s seven-week class series and learn a sport that challenges both body and mind. Aside from working the muscles in your arms, legs, and core, fencing teaches precision, discipline, and self-respect and delivers empowerment while promoting endurance, strength, and coordination. An Olympic sport of precision and passion, fencing is an all-around body do-gooder. East Providence 

9. Sweat it Out
Nothing bad ever comes from being hot and sweaty. Turn up the heat at Rhode Island Hot Yoga for Bikram yoga – a therapeutic sequence of 26 poses and two breathing exercises done in a 100- to 105-degree room with 40 to 50 percent humidity. The class is designed to work your body through its full range of motion and develop strength, balance, and flexibility. Did I mention it’s hot? With quick adjustment to the temps, you’ll be thankful (and become addicted) to the post-yoga glow that Bikram gives you. Bristol 

10. Go With the Flow
While the goal of yoga is to create space to get mentally unstuck, it doesn’t hurt your social media stream to post a beautiful backbend or two. Practice your magic at Synergy Power Yoga’s Hot Power Vinyasa and open your entire body and mind in this challenging, 90-minute flow. Based on the Baptiste Power Vinyasa method and influenced by many others, this heated class (which includes arm balances, inversions, and deep back bends) will take you on an energetic journey that nourishes the entire body. Barrington 

11. Put Up Your Dukes
Sometimes we work out so that we don’t punch people in the face. At ICON Boxing Club, we work out and learn how to throw punches at people in the face (but still don’t actually punch them). Experience authentic boxing techniques in a high-energy atmosphere for an all-around kickass workout (have you ever seen an out-of-shape boxer?). Learn offensive and defensive moves in hand-to-hand combat while gaining strength, endurance, and an invaluable skill. Bristol 

12. Spin Right ‘Round
There are endless ways to release endorphins, but a lot of them involve emptying your wallet, hoarding chocolate from your kids, or a hangover. Chase that high without consequence or regret in the fast-paced spin classes at Cycology Studio. Join any of the entertaining, active, and cleverly named classes (such as Abnormal Cycology, Positive Cycology, and Kinetic Cycology, just to name a few) for an hour of loud music, hard work, and a dose of guilt-free indulgence. Tiverton 

13. Dance to a New You
If dance is the hidden language of the soul, then Zumba is a conversation your body will want to have. Join Shape It Up Fitness for a calorie-burning dance fitness party that fuses Latin and international music to create a dynamic, exciting, and motivating workout. Zumba is a mixture of body-sculpting movements combined with easy-to-follow dance steps where mixed beats and rhythms guide your feet for an all-over workout. East Providence 

14. Pure Pilates
Joseph Pilates, inventor of Pilates as we know it today, claimed that the mind, when housed inside a healthful body, possesses a glorious sense of power. Harness your power at Pilates RI, where classes are based on the original classical work of Joseph, known as The Pilates Method. Increase strength, stability, and joint mobility, improve posture, and prevent injuries with this invigorating form of mind-clearing and body-pleasing exercise. Bristol and East Providence 

15. Ride the Rhythm
Let’s be real: we don’t always turn that dial up on a spin bike when the instructor tells us to (okay, maybe that’s just me). But the Rhythmic class at LuxeCycle makes staying the course just a little more attainable. This spin class goes beyond physicality – moving you musically and emotionally to connect mind and body – and combines upper body movements with hand weights to enhance the overall experience. Warren

16. Strap In
They say abs are made in the kitchen, but when you spend an hour alternating between core-blasting exercises on the TRX suspension straps and body-sculpting isometric training on Barre, I’m pretty sure abs can be made at Fitness Fusion, too. TRX Barre Fusion is the perfect 50/50 combination of two disciplines that utilize your abdominals to stabilize the movements while keeping the impact on your joints to a minimum. Bristol

17. Power (Half an) Hour
If you have 30 minutes to perfect your selfie, you have 30 minutes to exercise. SALT Fitness Café is the home of the 30-minute workout classes. A circuit of strength and endurance, these quick sessions done at your own pace will get your sweat on and leave plenty of time to get back to your social life. SALT, which stands for Simplicity, Accountability and Lifestyle Therapy, also offers treadmills, a weight room, and personal training. Swansea

18. Make a Splash
Water is 800 times denser than air. So it only makes sense to jump in and embrace the resistance with a workout that’s low in impact and high on enjoyment. Aqua Aerobics at Pods Swimming will give you a strength and cardio session that will tone and sculpt your body while burning calories without knee pain. Plus, you don’t have to worry about staying in the lane. East Providence

Four Fun Workouts For Kids

1. A 55-minute play-filled class, Dance Cardio for kids at cardioglow incorporates segments of games, dancing, and choreography  experimentation. Barrington

2. Jump, flip, climb, balance, swing around, and embrace your inner gymnast at Prestige Fitness & Gymnastics’ Center weekly Fit N’Flip class. Swansea

3. Confidence, discipline, endurance, and an all-out sweat session is what your kiddos will get at ICON Boxing Club’s Kids Boxing  Program. Bristol

4. Downward Dog your way into mindfulness, healing, stress-release, and positive self-image at Bayside YMCA’s Youth Yoga. Barrington

Fitness Made Fun, Jen Senecal, 18 classes to mix up your routine, Bridge to Fitness, Middletown RI, Barre, Pilates, Build That Booty, Aull Pilates and Movement Studio, Absolute Power, Powerr Fitness, Warren RI, It’s All in the Hips, cardioglow, hula Hoop, Barrington RI, 5. Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Burn, La Vida! Dance & Fitness, Bristol RI, Gotta Have That Funk, 426 Fitness, Core, studio47 Pilates, En Garde, RI Fencing, East Providence RI, Sweat it Out, Rhode Island Hot Yoga, Bikram yoga, Go With the Flow, Synergy Power Yoga, Hot Power Vinyasa, Spin Right ‘Round, Cycology Studio, Tiverton RI, Dance to a New You, Shape It Up Fitness, Pure Pilates, Pilates RI, Ride the Rhythm, Spin Class, LuxeCycle, Strap In, TRX, body sculpting, isometric training, Fitness Fusion, Power Half Hour, SALT Fitness Café, Swansea MA, Make a Splash, Aqua Aerobics, Pods Swimming, Fun Workouts For Kids, dance cardio, Prestige Fitness & Gymnastics, ICON Boxing Club, Bayside YMCA, Yoga, Youth Yoga,

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here



X