Popular workouts that burn fat while bringing the fun
Christine Forde
Contributor
Who took the fun out of exercise? No one did! Think back to when you were a kid—what did you enjoy doing? Ice skating? Playing hockey? Rollerblading? Skateboarding? But life got in the way and going back to do activities we used to love isn’t always realistic. Next time you’re looking for something enjoyable to help you burn calories, consider the new popular fitness classes.
For the free-spirited, fun-seeking dancer or someone who simply wants to join the dance party, try Zumba! Zumba is a high-intensity cardio workout guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a groove in your step as you dance away all your the stress and frustration. Zumbafit.ca explains: “Zumba utilizes the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning. It is a mixture of body sculpting movements with easy to follow dance steps such as: merengue, cha cha, mambo, salsa, reggaeton and several others.”
Even if you’re not familiar with these dance steps, it doesn’t matter; fun is the name of the game so that means this fitness routine is great for everyone from beginner to advanced.
Another popular dance workout is belly dancing. It allows you to sculpt and strengthen your core, while simultaneously working up a sweat. Often the instructor will bring out belly dance hipscarves adorned with sequins for you to wear whilst shaking your hips around the floor. Shakira is a well-known dancer and often performs belly dance moves in her shows.
For a watered-down version of the popular P90X and Insanity workouts (two hardcore fitness programs), bootcamp is just the thing and better yet, York’s very own fitness centre offers it! Bootcamp offers something for the hardcore fitness fanatic who loves a heavy sweat session and can’t get enough of intervals, calisthenics, and plyometrics.
Bootcamp may be taught in two different ways: sometimes it’s presented as a circuit in which the class is broken up into separate stations that will challenge different components of fitness. One station might feature jump ropes where you will be challenged to skip for two minutes straight and another might feature free weights where you might have to perform a set of walking lunges whilst holding the weights.
The other option for bootcamp is presented in a more traditional way where everyone will be given equipment and you imitate the instructor at the front of the room. She will start you off with a warm-up, then lead you through some pre-cardio and then into your muscle conditioning. The essence of bootcamp is in the way it is taught—a military-style way of teaching which pushes its participants to their limits. Often plyometrics (such as a jumping squat or jumping lunge) are implemented to elevate the heart-rate and challenge the muscles and cardiorespiratory system.
And last but not least, we come to the ever-popular mind-body exercise: yoga. Yoga originates from India and brings together the mind, body, and spirit in a series of meditative, stretch-based movements. While there are several types of yoga, the current popular style is known as “hot yoga.” Hot yoga is done in a 40-degree room and acts as a restorative practice for the participant. It’s also a great way to implement a yoga practice and reduce the chance of injury. Deep breathing is a major focus in this exercise as it enables the participant to work through challenging poses like backbends and headstands.
As you can see, there is an ever-expanding number of fitness classes and workouts available for you to try, so take a 45-minute break from that essay, exercise your body and mind in a different way.
