Novelty exercise classes can spice up your exercise routine and help you beat boredom.

From cardio and strength training to yoga and Pilates, standard fitness classes are the meat and potatoes of structured exercise. To up the fun factor, however, why not add a more novel approach?

Perhaps you’ll wind up toning your body on a trapeze in a class such as Jukari Fit to Fly, a creation of Reebok and Cirque du Soleil.

Trendy classes can help any fitness routine, according to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association. Their main benefits? They provide a form of cross training, which can challenge your body in different ways to keep your conditioning level from stalling on a plateau. And because they’re unique, they help you beat boredom.

Keep in mind, however, that some classes may not give you a well-rounded routine. Your fitness program should include cardiovascular activity, core conditioning, and strength training.

What kinds of unorthodox choices are available? Here’s a smattering of what’s offered at health clubs and YMCAs across the country. Unless you’re an experienced exerciser, check with your doctor before you try any group exercise class. Once you get your doctor’s OK, don’t be afraid to ask the instructor to modify an exercise if it’s too challenging or painful.

Fitness Hooping
Remember the hula hoop? Fitness hooping, a low-impact aerobics class, uses larger, weighted versions that spin more easily than the toy hoop you may have had as a kid.

You’ll shimmy the hoop around your waist and legs to the beat of music, burning calories and toning your core. You’ll also use the hoop in arm patterns to strengthen your shoulder area.

Once you get the hang of it, you can fitness hoop at home while you watch TV or listen to music.

Zumba
Zumba combines fast and slow Latin and international rhythms and dance steps, such as merengue, salsa, mambo, samba, and flamenco, as well as hip hop and belly dance moves. You’ll tone and sculpt your body in this calorie-burning interval training.

Get ready to swivel your hips, swing your arms, and groove to the music in a partylike atmosphere led by a Zumba-trained instructor.

TRX Suspension Training
With the TRX system, you’ll do many of the same moves you might try on a weight machine: lunges, a hip press, single-arm and back rows, and arm raises, to name a few. But no weights are involved.

Instead, you’ll use special TRX suspension straps to harness the resistance of your own body weight and gravity. The goal: improved strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility.

Antigravity Yoga
This acrobatic yoga uses the antigravity hammock, a fabric swing/soft trapeze that suspends you in simple and advanced poses. The low-impact workout uses gravity to move your body in three dimensions, enhancing your agility and flexibility. For more information, visit www.antigravityyoga.com.

To find a novelty fitness class near you, search the Internet for the type of the class and the name of your town or city and state. Many sites that advertise novelty classes offer online videos so you can see what’s involved. Keep in mind that—like any fad—trendy classes can come and go quickly.

By Sandra Gordon, a feature writer for Vitality. For information, visit the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association at www.ihrsa.org.

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